By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
A year ago the T.R. Miller Tigers came out on the right side of a coin toss with Clarke County when it came to deciding the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament host.
This year the Tigers will get to experience the other result of the coin flip. T.R. Miller will be on the road to Grove Hill after it came up on the short end of another coin toss with Clarke County.
Both the Bulldogs and Tigers finished the Area 1 season at the top with identical 5-1 records. Both teams successfully defended their home court in their two regular season meetings.
A year ago it was the same situation. T.R. Miller and Clarke County both finished tied for first place in the Area Tournament. The Tigers won the coin toss and then used the home court advantage to win the Area Tournament.
This year's Area Tournament will kick off February 11 when the second-seeded Tigers will meet third-seeded Straughn (2-4 in Area) at 5:30 p.m. T.R. Miller won both regular season matchups.
Top-seeded Clarke County will then meet fourth-seeded W.S. Neal (0-6) at 7 p.m. in the other first-round game. The Bulldogs won both regular season games.
The two winners will return for the championship game on February 14 at 7 p.m.
No coin toss was necessary on the girls side where T.R. Miller claimed the regular season title with a 6-0 record and the right to host the Area Tournament.
That event will kick off February 10 at 5:30 p.m. when second-seeded Clarke County (4-2 in the Area) will face third-seeded Straughn (2-4 in Area) at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs swept both regular season meetings.
Top-seeded T.R. Miller (6-0) will then face fourth-seeded W.S. Neal (0-6) at 7 p.m. The Lady Tigers won three regular season matchups with the Lady Blue Eagles.
The girls championship game will be February 12 at 7 p.m.
Admission at both Area sites is $5.
* * * * * * * * *
T.R. Miller High School has been selected to host a Class 3A Sectional Track Meet this spring.
That event will be held at Brewton Municipal Stadium on April 28.
The Tigers will be entered in that field along with W.S. Neal, Alabama Christian, Montgomery Catholic, Montgomery Academy, Central-Hayneville, LAMP, Pike County and Sumter County.
That sectional meet will be the final home sporting event for longtime T.R. Miller track and assistant football coach Alan Baker. Baker will be retiring at the end of the school year.
Baker and the T.R. Miller track program will kick off its season this weekend with the state indoor meet at Priceville.
Baker indicated he expected about 15 members to compete in that event. Several members of the Tigers and Lady Tigers will be unable to compete at Priceville due to their
See BITS Page 8
basketball participation.
Speaking of Baker, he was honored for his 21 years of service with the Tigers football program at last week's Awards Night. Baker was honored with a plaque as well as a trivia challenge about his playing and coaching career.
T.R. Miller Lady Tigers basketball player Joy McCorvey is closing in on a personal milestone.
McCorvey entered Tuesday's home game against Flomaton 37 points shy of 1,500 for her career.
The 6-0 junior has scored 423 points this season, an average of 18.4 per outing. McCorvey's 1,463 points has her in fourth place on the school's all-time scoring list behind Felicia Jackson (1,911), Ashley Samuel (2,197) and Deanna Jackson (2,398).