Baldwin County basketball programs closed out area tournament play last week, with several teams capturing championships and earning spots in the AHSAA regional round while others saw their seasons come to an end in the Rub-Regional round.

FAIRHOPE SWEEPS AREA TITLES

Fairhope completed a sweep of the Class 7A Area 2 championships, as both the girls and boys programs claimed titles over Daphne.

The Fairhope girls edged Daphne 40-39 to win the area crown, improving to 27-4 on the season. The Pirates have now totaled more wins this year than in the previous two seasons combined. Fairhope will face Baker in the opening round of the 7A South Regional.

Following the victory, Lady Pirates coach Gabrielle Gilson discussed the journey of "flipping the switch" from last year's playoff miss to becoming one of Alabama's elite teams this season.

"Just our team chemistry," coach Gilson said. "We really came together this last year. They have been in the gym night in and night out working on something. This is something not just this year they have been working on; the seniors have been working hard for four years."

Despite the narrow loss, Daphne still advances to Montgomery and will meet 7A Area 1 champion Alma Bryant.

On the boys side, Fairhope continued its dominant season with a 75-54 win over Daphne, marking the second time this year the Pirates have defeated the Trojans by at least 20 points.

Even with all the injuries to upperclassmen the Pirates dealt with this season, head coach Ralph Watson said after the win that "togetherness" and "competitive edge" pushed this team to success in 2025-26. Fairhope finished 8-0 in area play, including the tournament, and will take on Mary G. Montgomery in the regional round.

As for Daphne, the Trojans will head to Montgomery to face Davidson, the Area 1 champion.

BALDWIN COUNTY'S MAGICAL RUN

In Class 6A, Baldwin County delivered one of the county's most notable postseason runs. The Tigers rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat Gulf Shores 56-51 in the 6A Area 2 championship game, securing their first area title since 2012.

First-year head coach and Baldwin County alum Jordan Culliver was a part of multiple area championship teams with the Tigers in the late 2000s. Culliver said he was "overwhelmed" soaking in the moment after ending the more than a decade title hiatus.

"This team never stops fighting," Culliver said after the area title win. "We were down 15 in the semifinal (against McGill), we were down 16 tonight. I went in there and challenged them at halftime and they came out here, buckled down and did what I asked them to do."

Baldwin County hosted Park Crossing in the sub-regional round but was eliminated in a 76-67 loss. The Tigers mounted another comeback after trailing by 20 points, cutting the deficit to seven late, but could not close the gap.

STILL DANCING

Several other Baldwin County teams earned Sub-Regional victories to keep their postseason hopes alive into the Sweet Sixteen rounds at South Regionals.

Both Orange Beach squads defended home court, with the Lady Makos defeating Ashford 43-28 and the Mako boys dominating Geneva 44-20. Orange Beach's boys and girls teams will each face Jackson in the opening round of the Class 4A South Regional in Birmingham.

St. Michael Catholic's boys pulled off a road upset at Ashford, winning 33-29 and avenging their loss to Orange Beach in the 4A Area 1 championship. The Cardinals will travel to Montgomery to face New Brockton.

In Class 3A, Bayside Academy's boys continued their postseason run with a 71-60 win over Wilcox Central in the sub-regional round. The Admirals will meet Monroe County in the regional quarterfinals.

ELIMINATIONS

Several Baldwin County programs saw their seasons conclude last week.

Gulf Shores' boys fell on the road to Russell County 76-43 to finish the season 16-15. The Lady Dolphins were also eliminated, losing to Park Crossing 71-38 to close the year at 18-14.

Other teams eliminated included the St. Michael girls, who lost at Geneva 54-35, Bayside Academy's girls, who fell to Providence Christian 69-45, and Bayshore Christian's boys, who were defeated by Thomasville 45-35.