Historic seasons came to an end across Baldwin County last week, but one team kept its championship hopes alive.

While the Fairhope Pirates boys basketball team punched its ticket to the Class 7A Final Four, the postseason runs for the Bayside Academy boys and the Fairhope Lady Pirates came to a close in the Elite Eight. Now the Pirates are the last Baldwin County team remaining in the state playoffs — and sit one win away from making program history.

THE PIRATES' CHANCE AT HISTORY

Fairhope advanced to the Final Four after defeating the Davidson Warriors 72-50 in last Wednesday's Class 7A Elite Eight. The Pirates will face defending Class 7A champion Hoover Buccaneers on March 5 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham with a trip to the state championship game on the line.

Fairhope enters the semifinal with a 26-6 record and the chance to reach the state final for the first time in program history. The Pirates are 0-3 all-time in Final Four appearances, including last season's 74-62 loss to eventual runner-up Florence Falcons.

One more victory would not only send Fairhope to its first state championship game, but would also tie the program's highest win total since the 2020-21 season.

ELIMINATIONS

Elsewhere in the Elite Eight, two other Baldwin County teams saw their postseason runs come to an end.

The Bayside Academy boys finished the season 20-9 after falling to the Southside-Selma Panthers 48-43. The 20-win season marked the program's most victories since the Admirals won 23 games during the 2012-13 season under then-head coach Ralph Watson, who now leads Fairhope's boys program.

On the girls' side, Fairhope's historic postseason ended with a 78-75 loss to the Alma Bryant Hurricanes in the program's first-ever Elite Eight appearance. Nylah Loukides scored 33 points in the loss to cap a record-setting 29-5 season — the best mark in program history.