Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Belle Trammell’s homecoming turned out to be a resounding success for the Sardis High girls basketball team.
Trammell, who attended Sardis Middle School before transferring to Albertville as a ninth grader, returned to Sardis for the 2021-22 season. All the senior point guard did was backbone the team’s finest season, which included a program-best 27-8 record, first-ever county and area championships and a first-ever appearance in the Northeast Regional Tournament finals.
Trammell’s veteran presence and savvy leadership was just as important to the Lady Lions’ success as were her 7.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, as she was named the team MVP following the season. Trammell’s postseason honors did not stop there, as she is Player of the Year for The Messenger’s All-Area girls basketball team.
“Belle is the definition of a point guard,” said Sardis girls basketball coach Heath Collum in an interview earlier this season. “She doesn’t care how many points she scores; she really likes to pass it, and [her teammates] rely on her a lot. She does her job very well and makes us a lot better.”
Joining Trammell on the All-Messenger first team are Sardis junior Jayda Lacks, Hokes Bluff senior Kileigh Blackwell, Glencoe junior Jaxson Sizemore, Westbrook Christian junior Bella Millirons and Gadsden City senior Tameah Gaddis.
Lacks was the Lady Lions’ leading scorer and rebounder with 13.7 points and 9.5 boards per game. A Snead State signee, Blackwell averaged 9.5 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Lady Eagles. Sizemore was tops on the Lady Yellow Jackets with 14.5 points game along with 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists. In her first season at Westbrook after starting for Coosa Christian for four years, Millirons was good for 15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. She tied the AHSAA record for most steals in one game with 15 against Gaston this season. Gaddis averaged 13.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals for the Lady Titans.
Sardis’ Kytha Edwards highlights the All-Messenger Defensive Team. The junior guard averaged 6.5 rebounds while most often shadowing the opposition’s top scorer. With Sardis nursing a three-point lead over Ramsay in the final seconds of the Class 5A Northeast Regional semifinals, it was Edwards who grabbed a rebound off a missed three-point attempt and fed the ball to Trammell, whose ensuing foul shot eventually held up as the winning point.
Joining Edwards are Gadsden City junior Ajainay Tinker, Coosa Christian senior Erin Snow, Southside sophomore Jovi Marble, West End senior Hannah Wall and Westbrook sophomore Ella Keene.
Coach of the Year is Heath Collum of Sardis.
The All-Messenger second team consists of Sardis junior Caroline Johnson, Etowah junior
Jaleigh Devine, Gadsden City sophomore Jaedyn Sharpe, Glencoe junior Kinslee Gray and Coosa Christian junior Caitlyn Cates.
Making All-Messenger honorable mention are Southside junior Ella Knowlton, Westbrook Christian junior Brielle Wood, West End senior Anna Mayo, Gaston freshman Traci Jones and Ashville senior Sera Beth Potter.
