Wednesday saw the progress of several area girls basketball teams as well as early looks at three new head coaches at local programs.

Jemison High School hosted a round of “play dates” between several area and regional girls’ high school basketball teams.

The teams played several games throughout the day, each with 16-minute halves and a short halftime period.

The Panthers opened the day with a friendly game against Trinity Presbyterian High School at 9 a.m. It was JHS’s first summer game in a loss against TPHS, but new coach Stacy McGehee, who coached the Jemison boys for the first time last season, said he saw several positive things on the court that should translate to success next season.

“I really didn’t know what to expect today,” he said. “I’m proud of the girls’ effort and the way they hustled. Everyone’s working hard.”

He said the team is using the summer to learn his system.

“They’re getting accustomed to me, and I’m getting accustomed to them,” he said. “It’s a learning curve, but we’ll be ready for the fall.”

JHS lost to Oneonta High School and played Jackson-Olin High School later in the day.

Verbena High School exploded with a convincing victory over Chilton County High School shortly after the JHS morning game.

Marqueska Deramus led the way with a strong presence under the rim both offensively and defensively.

Head coach Jonathan Shedd was also pleased with the progress made by the Lady Devils, who played their third summer game.

“We played a lot better than we did last Thursday, which helped us get ready for CCHS,” Shedd said. “They’re growing and working on little things.”

Most of the girls are playing for Shedd for the first time, which he said takes some getting used to after playing a different system under previous head coach Jennifer Ingram.

“It’s just a work in progress,” he said. “We coach differently. The more we can get down low and take advantage of mismatches, the better off we’ll be. We also need to develop more consistent shooting. We’ll be pretty solid all around.”

CCHS coach Deon Timmons, who took control of head coaching responsibilities this year, said while he’s seen a lot of improvement from his players, there’s plenty more to be made.

“We’re a young team,” Timmons said. “We’ve got some players who need to grow up, step up and play.”

He said the team will need to rely on the play of several veterans. Until the season starts, they will work hard at developing fundamentals. Timmons was not happy about the results of the Verbena loss or the one that followed against Jackson-Olin.

“Overall, I’m a little disappointed, but I’m pleased with the effort.”
CCHS also played Calera High School later in the afternoon.

Jemison’s tennis team finished sixth in the state tournament Friday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, beating out rival St. James and playing six of 12 schools.

The Panthers finished with a total 15 points and were ranked second in No. 3 doubles. Eighth graders Jake Long and Andrew Morton scored all points in both singles and doubles.

“They had to play two seniors each time,” coach Benton Morton said of the two eighth graders. “Each time it went to the third set, it got real exciting.”

Long won his first single match and scored two points, and Morton won his first two matches. In doubles, the Panthers won their first three matches against Cherokee County and West Point to earn nine points.

UMS Wright won the tournament, but Jemison continues to improve each year. This was their seventh consecutive year to go to state finals. Last year, Jemison was ranked 10th in the state.

“The boys had a great season,” Morton said. “We’re young and we’re looking forward to next year.”

From staff reports

More than 200 University of Montevallo students received their diplomas at fall commencement Dec. 18.
The commencement speaker was Ruth Truss, professor of history at UM and a Montevallo alumna. Following the address, Dr. Terry G. Roberson, acting UM president, conferred degrees upon some 160 candidates for bachelor’s degrees, 42 candidates for master’s degrees and six candidates for the educational specialist degree.
After students received their diplomas, Karen Kelly, president of the National Alumni Association, inducted graduates into the 21,000-member organization. The following are North Chilton students who received their diplomas:

From Jemison: Kendra H. Cook (BBA), Rachel E. Stephens (B.S.) and Dana M. Price (MED).
From Randolph: Rachel E. Morris (B.S.)

By The North Chilton Advertiser staff

The city of Jemison has made several visible strides toward becoming a bigger city in 2009.
If you have not already done so, just drive up Interstate 65 to Exit 219 and you will see that the north Chilton interchange is one of the most well lit exits between Birmingham and Montgomery.
The lights are the result of a major federal grant awarded to the city and are already starting to open the eyes of prospective businesses looking to expand to developing cities like Jemison.
We talked to a couple of business owners in the area, and they like having the lights there not only for the increased visibility of their businesses but also because the presence of the lights heightens one’s sense of security.
Perhaps the lights will also serve as a deterrent to crime in the area, in addition to boosting commercial growth to bring in more revenue from the thousands of vehicles that pass through every single day.
Another welcome improvement that has been a long time coming are the finished sidewalks along Highway 31 and Church Street (Alabama 191) in Jemison. As the city expands and daily traffic increases, these sidewalks provide pedestrians with a safe thoroughfare from their homes to businesses, schools or wherever.
It’s also impossible to ignore the new municipal building under construction on Highway 31.
All these things are the ingredients for future progress. They are signs that Jemison is being proactive knowing what is ahead. These are things both city leaders and citizens can be proud of.

By Scott Mims

Volunteers served up more than 2,300 plates during Saturday’s community barbecue in Jemison.
Once the grills were fired up Friday afternoon, the barbecuing didn’t stop for 21 hours. But it took only an hour and a half for the food to disappear Saturday.
“We had to actually turn people away because we were out of food by 12:30,” coordinator Keith Mims said.
The event was sponsored by several area churches.
Accompanying each plate was the Bible verse John 5:24, and members of the Gideons handed out Bibles to those in attendance.
Community outreach was the primary purpose of the barbecue.
“It wasn’t really about barbecue. I honestly believe people were blessed to see these nine churches coming together as one, and that the churches care and the doors of the churches are open,” Mims said.
More than 300 church members and volunteers enjoyed barbecue and fellowship Friday night. Among the participating churches were Pleasant Grove, Mars Hill, Holly Grove, St. James Highland, Jemison First Baptist, Pates Chapel, Oak Grove, Pleasant Hill, and Union Springs.
Mims said the response was so overwhelming that people from other churches have already volunteered to assist with the next barbecue, which could be held as soon as spring 2010. He thanked the men and women who participated.
“I don’t think Chilton County has seen anything like that in a long time,” he said. “I think it’s because we need to come together as a community.”