West Lauderdale, Heidelberg looking for gold in tourney

By Staff
March 9, 2002
By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
The West Lauderdale Lady Knights and Heidelberg Oilers will both be looking for gold this afternoon the big gold ball that goes to the winners of the state high school basketball tournament.
West Lauderdale, 33-4, takes on New Albany, 33-6, at 1 p.m. in the Class 3A girls' state championship. Heidelberg, 31-7, plays Corinth, 28-3, at 2:30 p.m. for the 3A boys' title.
West Lauderdale and Heidelberg compete in Division 5-3A where they both dominated during the regular season. They have something else in common. Neither the Lady Knights nor the Oilers has ever won a state championship.
Hurst came close to reaching both of those goals as a player. As a center fielder at Mississippi State University, Hurst played on teams that reached the finals of NCAA regional play, but never got that trip to Omaha, Neb.
As a player on the West Lauderdale boys' basketball team, he also came tantalizingly close, only to be stopped by South Jones.
Heidelberg has never won a state championship either, although Southside High School in Heidelberg did win two boys' state titles in the Magnolia State Tournament prior to integration.