By Staff
Staff Reports, Hartselle Enquirer
MONTGOMERY – Danville senior Nate Orr led the Hawks to the Final Four for the first time in a dozen years earlier this month. For his effort he was named the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State basketball team.
Orr was named to the second team in Class 3A, after averaging 17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and shooting 40 percent from behind the three-point arc. He also connected on 84 percent of his foul shots, making 127-of-152.
Orr's head coach at Danville, Robert Pope, finished runner-up in the balloting for the 3A boy's Coach of the Year.
Pope led Danville to a 28-3 mark and the state semi-finals, where they lost to eventual state champion Sumter County.
Orr was the only area player named first or second team by the ASWA, but five other area players were named to the honorable mention list.
Three area girls' players were named to the honorable mention list for the second straight season.
Bethel Baptist's Maegan Price, Hartselle's Lauren Drake and Priceville's Tiffany Smith were named in 2004 as well as this year.
Price, a junior, led the Lady Bobcats with 23.9 points and 13.1 rebounds per game as they reached the ACEA state semi-finals.
Drake, a sophomore, took over as the Lady Tigers leading scorer after Shan Jones went down with an injury.
Drake averaged 14.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals a game in this season.
She helped Hartselle to an area crown and appearance in the Sweet 16 round of the state 5A playoffs.
Smith, a senior, is the Lady Bulldogs all-time leader in points, rebounds, steals and assists.
This season she helped Priceville advance to the Elite Eight round of the 2A state playoffs.
In addition, three area boys' players were named to the honorable mention list for the first time.
Brewer's Austin Mooney and Hartselle's Keith Rodgers were both named this season after each surpassed the 1,000-point mark for their career.
Mooney, a senior, averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds while leading the Patriots to the sub-state round of the state playoffs, where they fell to eventual state champion Butler.
Rodgers, also a senior, finished with over 500 career rebounds in addition to leading the Tigers with a 16.1 scoring average and grabbing five rebounds a contest.
In addition Falkville's Heath Alford was named to the honorable mention list after averaging a double-double for the entire campaign.
Alford, a sophomore, averaged 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds this season.