Spain Park falls to area rival Mountain Brook
Mountain Brook needed a win to stay alive in the Class 7A, Area 6, race.
The Spartans got it, knocking off visiting Spain Park 66-47 in a rematch that went the other way ten days prior. Both teams are now tied with a 4-1 record.
Should they both win on Friday night, a coin toss will determine who hosts the area tournament.
“That’s always big,” Mountain Brook head coach Bucky McMillan said of staying in the area race. “The past three years, we’ve hosted the area tournament. You always want to give yourself a chance.”
The loss in the first meeting between the two schools forced Mountain Brook to hit the reset button on the season.
“This was our third real game in my opinion,” McMillan said. We really established some roles after we lost to them the first time. We have just become a much better basketball team. We’re really turning the corner.”
Freshman Trendon Watford gave the Spartans that chance to win the area, scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds in the game. He got the game off to a solid start, as he grabbed two of his misses early in the game and scored off them.
“It’s big. We really wanted this one,” Watford said.
In a back-and-forth opening period, Spain Park’s Justin Brown and Jamal Johnson knocked down consecutive threes for a four-point edge, after which Mountain Brook scored three straight baskets. The first period ended in a 14-14 deadlock.
Johnson scored 14 points in the game, and Brown added nine.
Johnson nailed a three to the game with 2:35 left in the first half, but things went downhill from there. From that point, the Spartans ran off seven straight points. Jack Kline nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 36-26 edge.
Kline’s buzzer beater put him in the 1,000-point club for his career at Mountain Brook. He finished the night with 16 points, and is just a handful of rebounds away from 700 for his career.
“He’s a great player, and there’s no better competitor in any sport I’ve been around,” McMillan said.
The Jags never drew even in the game again, as the Mountain Brook pressure combined with poor decision-making left Spain Park coach Donnie Quinn frustrated at the lack of touches for big man Austin Wiley.
“His teammates have to get him the ball. That’s part of it, and we came down taking shots from 25 feet in transition when he is being single covered,” Quinn said.
Wiley threw down a few thunderous dunks, and led the team with 19 points.
Quinn pointed to one main area as the source of Spain Park’s struggles.
“Physicality, basically that’s it. That’s what it comes down to,” he said.
The Spartans established firm control of the game with back-to-back threes midway through the third quarter from Ben McCool and Drew Smith to open up a 15-point advantage.
McCool and Smith each had solid games, scoring 11 points each.
Both teams are back in action for their final area contest on Friday night. Mountain Brook travels to Hewitt-Trussville and Spain Park takes on Vestavia Hills.