The Northeast Regional Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville State is always one of my favorite events to cover. Granted, I might be a little biased, since I graduated from JSU and have a lot of fond memories of basketball games in the Pete.

Now, I have another memorable moment to add.

Those watching Friday's Class 6A boys final between Lee-Huntsville and Mountain Brook know what kind of student section the Spartans had. Those kids came out in droves.

Press row was packed when I arrived, so I had the bright idea to stand underneath the goal in front of the Spartan student section.

Mountain Brook held on for a 68-66 victory to advance to Birmingham, and then the excitement ensued.

The Spartan players dashed off the court to greet their student section.

The students were jumping off the bleachers to meet them.

Yours truly was right in the middle. I felt like I was living out a scene from the movie 300.

The result? Well, let's just put it like this ... I now know what a mosh pit at a concert feels like. Thankfully, I came out unscathed, but I have to admit, it was a little fun.

It's moments like those that I'm talking about.

Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin had a great quote that kind of put the past week in perspective.

Following the Lady Panthers' 47-43 loss to Cedar Bluff in the Class 1A girls regional final on Friday, he said, "This time of year is all about excitement and heartache."

And that's why there's nothing else like regionals.

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One of the Cinderella stories of the tournament was the Cedar Bluff Lady Tigers, but the clock didn't strike midnight on them.

Their first-ever regional appearance grew into something even more special. They defeated Skyline 73-57 on Monday and Spring Garden on Friday in the regional final to advance to their first Final 48 appearance.

The Lady Tigers (18-15) face sixth-ranked Brantley (23-6) at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on Tuesday in the Class 1A girls state semifinals at 3 p.m.

But the Lady Tigers aren't the only regional Cinderella story team still standing.

Of the nine teams (five girls, four boys) making their first Northeast Regional appearance last week, five will now be playing in Birmingham.

In addition to Cedar Bluff's girls, Huntsville and Brewer's girls, along with Lafayette and Center Point's boys, will get to continue their championship dreams.

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While some teams were experiencing regionals for the first time, several veteran mainstays were making their usual apperance.

Pisgah's girls were making their 15th appearance at the Pete. The Lady Eagles have won eight regional championships, with their last coming in 2007. Pisgah lost to Ashville 69-50 in the Class 3A semifinals on Thursday.

Right behind Pisgah for most girls appearances is Spring Garden. The Lady Panthers made their 11th appearance before bowing out on Friday to Cedar Bluff.

Anniston's boys made their 13th appearance in regional play. The Bulldogs have won five regional titles, with their last coming in 2011. Anniston lost to Madison County 80-66 in the Class 4A semifinals on Tuesday.

Collinsville's boys returned to the Pete for the 12th time last week, losing a thriller to Ragland in overtime on Monday, 54-49.

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Sand Rock's Madison Smith, Spring Garden's Logan Whorton and Piedmont's BreAnna Thompson were all named to their respective classes' all-regional tournament teams.

Smith scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Lady Wildcats' 45-39 loss to Lanett in the Class 2A girls regional semifinals on Monday.

Whorton sank seven 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, five rebounds and two steals in the Panthers' 63-48 loss to Skyline in the Class 1A boys semifinals on Monday.

Thompson tallied 16 points, six rebounds and four steals in the Lady Bulldogs' 41-34 loss to Holly Pond in Thursday's Class 3A girls semifinals.

One glaring area omission on the Class 1A boys all-regional team was Collinsville senior guard Deshawn Moore.

Moore had one of the more gutsy performances in the tournament. He scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, posted five blocked shots and dished out two assists in the Panthers' overtime loss to Ragland in Monday's Class 1A boys regional semifinals.

Moore suffered a deep cut to his bottom lip near the end of the second quarter, but returned to action with 5:25 left in the third to finish the game.

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Mountain Brook's students weren't the only ones yours truly was impressed with last week. I might be showing a little bias here again, but I thought all of our area teams' students exhibited great school spirit.

Cedar Bluff, Cherokee County, Collinsville, Piedmont, Sand Rock and Spring Garden's fans were all some of the most colorful of the tournament. But then again, they have been all season.

We saw a little bit of everything, from Spring Garden's BJ Turner donning a gorilla outfit to Cedar Bluff's DeAngelo Hardy "riding a pony."

I know your respective teams appreciate the support, and I know I've enjoyed watching your crazy antics all season.

Can't wait to see what you do for an encore next year!