Roberts earns 700th victory

Members of the Red Bay varsity girls basketball team congratulate head coach Donnie Roberts following their win against Phil Campbell. It was the 700th career victory for Roberts. | Scot Beard/FCT

RED BAY — Fans packed into the gym at Red Bay High School Saturday night witnessed something few high school fans across the country have ever witnessed.

Varsity girls coach Donnie Roberts picked up his 700th career victory as the Lady Tigers beat Phil Campbell 64-47.

“It’s a reflection of the community and the school,” Roberts said. “This is one of the best coaching jobs in the state.”

Roberts was recognized following the game for setting a state record for career wins.

He had a head start on other coaches in the state because he picked up his first 142 wins in Mississippi. Alabama did not have varsity girls basketball until the late 1970s.

Phil Campbell kept the game close through halftime, but Red Bay was able to pull away in the second half. Three Lady Tigers reached double-digit scoring to secure the win.

Whitney Sharp scored a game-high 20 points while Jade Ezzell scored 16 and Lauren Pacetti recorded 10 points. Also scoring for Red Bay were Hannah Sharp (6), Lexy Lindsey (4), Morgan McKinney (3), Leah Fuller (3) and Alaina Hester (2).

Ciara Harville scored 13 points for Phil Campbell while Whitley Yocum scored 10 points. Also scoring for the Lady Bobcats were Amber Chaney (9), Autumn Thomas (6), Taylor Scott (4), Korina Jimenez (3) and Sarah Hilliard (2).

With the win the Lady Tigers improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in area play.

Roberts said the win was not made more special since it came against a cross-county rival.

“I wouldn’t have cared who I got it against,” Roberts said. “They played tough. I thought they weren’t going to let me get it for a while.”

Roberts has led the Lady Tigers to many memorable wins throughout the years. He has taken Red Bay to the state championship game five times, earning three state titles. He has also guided Red Bay to 20 Franklin County Tournament Titles.

The games Roberts remembers the most are the battles with Hatton.

“Of all the games, those two or three years against Hatton stick out,” Roberts said. “Those were some of the best games I’ve ever seen.”

The Lady Tigers have played well to start the season, with the only loss being a 50-47 loss at Winfield to open the season.

Roberts said the team has improved since the start of the season but there are still a few areas it needs to work on as the season progresses.

He said he would like to improvements in rebounding and defensive sliding.

“We get into a lot of foul trouble reaching,” Roberts said.

The Lady Tigers are in good shape to clinch another regular season area title and host the area tournament, but they will have to play well on the road — the three remaining area games are all on the road.

One thing the Lady Tigers will not have to worry about is earning Roberts his 700th career victory.

“I’m glad we got it tonight,” Roberts said. “We can focus on more important things.”