| Remember When? Aiken, Coneal propel Devils to sweep of Obion Central | | | Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago.
30 Years Ago
Jan. 23 — A pair of local teams were ranked among the best basketball squads in the state. Kenton was voted ninth in the Associated Press’ Class A boys’ basketball poll. Meanwhile, South Fulton’s girls were voted No. 3 in the Commercial Appeal’s girls’ basketball poll. The local roundball squads were on a 10-day layoff caused by snow that blanketed the area.
20 Years Ago
Jan. 18 — South Fulton took both ends of a basketball twinbill with county cousin Obion Central. The Devilettes were 68-48 winners, while their male counterparts enjoyed a 79-66 triumph. In the girls’ game, Cheryl Aiken paced SF with 24 points while Sondra Miller and Dana Harris finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively. The OC girls were led by Christy Brown with nine. In the nightcap, Ronnie Coneal made a big impact off the bench for the Red Devils with a game-high 22 while Shannon St. John added 19 and Tim McNeal was responsible for 16. Central’s top contributor was Denver Whitby with 20. David Hagan (16), Dennis Moore (12) and Scott Northam (10) each finished in twin digits.
Jan. 19 — Rives split a jayvee doubleheader with Union City. In the opener, the Lady Panthers pounced on UC 31-18. The Twisters extracted a measure of revenge in the boys’ game with a 53-20 shellacking of Rives. Gina Vise led RJH in the opener with eight while teammate Maria Barber chipped in seven. UC’s Emily Gillett accounted for a half-dozen tallies. In the boys’ affair, Tim Lewis posted a game-high 13 for the Tornadoes.
10 Years Ago
Jan. 19 — Dee Brown swished a bucket in the last minute to help squeak South Fulton’s boys past Gleason 58-57. In the girls’ game, the Lady Bulldogs, led by Ashley McElhiney, thumped the Devilettes 65-45. Brown was the top scorer in the boys’ triumph with 20 while teammate Josh McFarland added 15 for SF. Elizer Rosier and Heather Rambo poured in a dozen apiece in the SF girls’ loss.
Jan. 22 — Hillcrest topped Ridgemont 22-8 in fourth-grade action in the Obion County Independent Youth League. Josh Hart powered H’crest with six points while teammates Abby Reedy, David Kissell and Garrett Grady each finished with four markers. Ally Underwood and Julie Phillips tied for R’mont’s top scoring mark with four points each.
5 Years Ago
Jan. 20 — Overtime was both good and bad for Union City Middle School. The Lady Twisters edged Dresden 40-39, while the UC boys fell 52-48 in games that both needed an extra period to decide. In the girls’ game, DeBrisha Robinson pitched in half of UC’s total points with 20 markers. Demetrius Bracey also accounted for half of his team’s points with 24 during the defeat for the Twisters.
Jan. 22 — South Fulton’s girls clinched the District 15A regular season crown after a nailbiting 54-53 triumph against Greenfield. Tiffany Gordon dropped a 21-point evening onto the Lady Yellowjackets while Cristy Crannick was three points off SF’s top mark with 18. In the boys’ game, the Red Devils gave first-place Greenfield a scare before ultimately falling 71-60. Adam Hicks was the top performer for SF with 16. Jeremy Wilson offered a 13-point effort for South Fulton.
1 Year Ago
Jan. 17 — Obion Central and Gibson County essentially traded blowouts. The Lady Rebels drubbed GC 65-38 with their male counterparts whipped 63-38 in the nightcap. Gentry Reedy (18) and Whitney Williams (13) were the only two OC girls’ players with double digits in the win. Senior Lady Rebel Ashley Baldwin recorded an eight-point outing. In the boys’ loss, Nick Gilliam was OC’s top man with 15. Rusty Davis also reached twin digits with 10 markers.
Jan. 23 — Both South Fulton teams reached the finals of the Obion County School System’s jayvee tournament, but both teams fell. The Devilettes were walloped by Lake Road 42-16, while their male counterparts fell 25-23 to Hillcrest. Lady General Mackenzie Tucker equaled SF’s point total with 16 on her own with Brandy Davis adding 10. Haley McKinney was the Devilettes’ leading lady with six in the loss. In the boys’ title game, Jaquis Williams drained a pair of charity tosses with seven seconds left to decide the game. Winn Decker sat atop the H’crest scoring summary with a dozen. Josh Clement offered South Fulton’s top performance with eight during the defeat. | | | | |
