Photo by Todd Lester / www.ToddLesterPhotography.com
Action in a game between Vestavia and Mountain Brook in the Steel City Invitation on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Mountain Brook High School basketball teams opened Class 7A, Area 6 play with a pair of tight wins over solid Huffman squads on Tuesday night.
The girls (12-7, 1-0 area) began the evening with a 45-42 victory over the Lady Vikings, a semifinalist in 6A last season. The game was deadlocked at 20-20 at halftime, before Huffman pulled away slightly in the third quarter.
An 8-0 run sparked by 3-point makes from sisters Kate and Whitton Bumgarner brought the Lady Spartans back late in the contest. With her team holding a one-point lead with 20 seconds remaining, Carlee Dawkins iced the game to give Mountain Brook the win.
Emily Henderson led Mountain Brook with 11 points in the game, and was joined in double figures by Hannah Bartels, who poured in 10 points.
The nightcap lived up to its predecessor, as the boys team also won in dramatic fashion, taking down Huffman, 60-54, in a rematch of the Steel City Invitational championship.
The Spartans (19-2, 1-0) took a 30-26 lead into the locker room at halftime, as Trendon Watford had 21 of the team's 30 points at the time. In a tight, physical game down the stretch, senior Jack Brewster hit a pair of clutch free throws late to lift Mountain Brook to the victory.
Watford finished up with 29 points in the game on an incredibly efficient 11-of-13 shooting, draining all three of his 3-point attempts, and racking up a double-double with 13 rebounds as well. Sean Elmore's normal 3-point shot did not make an impact, but he still managed to score 15 points, secure six boards and pick up three steals. Ben McCool notched 11 points and seven rebounds.
Mountain Brook is back in action on Friday night, as it hosts Oak Mountain in another area contest.
