The Ellwood Christian boys’ basketball team made school history last week and only needed to win one game to do so.

The Eagles were ranked in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s top 10 in class 1A, the first ranking in school history, according to boys’ basketball coach Darrell Walker. Ellwood (2-4) is also ranked No. 10 this week.

“They were so excited that I had to calm them down,” Walker said of his team.

“I said you’ve only won one game and that was against A.L. Johnson, but the fact of the matter is, I told them we had played some top-notch competition and we hung in with these top-notch teams like Leflore and also Sumter Central and R.C. Hatch. These are top notch programs in the state of Alabama, so I told them if you can hang with these guys, you can hang with anybody in the state, especially in 1A competition.”

The Eagles won a class A state championship in the Alabama Independent School Association in 2011, but Walker said the team was not ranked during that season. Even if they were, Ellwood has never been ranked as a AHSAA school.

Walker said the key now is to back up that ranking.

Both of Ellwood’s wins have come against A.L. Johnson.

Ellwood lost twice to R.C. Hatch and also lost games to Leflore and Sumter Central.

“We still have a long road,” Walker said. “We know some other teams have been No. 1 and lost and then you’re back at home. I’m only concerned about the rankings at the end of the year.”

The Eagles play at Linden Dec. 20 and host Linden Dec. 22.

Ellwood will then play in Linden’s Christmas Tournament on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, so the Eagles will be seeing a lot of the Patriots in the next week.

“They are going to be physical, they are going to be in shape and they are also going to run all night,” Walker said.

“We are going to try to match their intensity.”
Dallas co. boys, Selma girls also nominated for rankings

Although neither team got in the rankings this week, the Dallas County boys (5-2) and Selma girls (9-1) were both nominated in their classifications.

The Hornets defeated Maplesville on Tuesday and Selma won their first area game of the year against Chilton County.

The R.C. Hatch boys (7-1) are ranked No. 10 after a win Monday night against Southside. R.C. Hatch will play Francis Marion Friday night.