VIDEO:Gadsden City beats Spartans on last-second shot
Gadsden City’s Shond Kidd-McKinney drove the lane and floated it up and in.
That pivotal basket spelled the end of Mountain Brook’s season on Thursday, as the Spartans fell to a strong Gadsden City team, 56-54, in the Class 7A Northeast Regional Semifinal in the Pete Mathews Coliseum at Jacksonville State University.
“I told somebody close to me I thought the winner of this game would be the favorite to win the state championship,” Mountain Brook head coach Bucky McMillan said following the loss. "I still feel that way."
Trendon Watford was called for a charge with 1:05 to play in the game, and the Titans were able to hold the ball for the rest of regulation and get the last shot.
Kidd-McKinney started his drive with less than eight seconds to play, and after the basket, fans stormed the court in celebration as the clock read 0:00.
The officials put 1.3 seconds back on the clock, but the Spartans were unable to get a competitive shot up.
“It was a tough-fought game, and we knew it was going to be,” said Gadsden City head coach Reginald Huff. “We are a very good Gadsden City team.”
Kidd-McKinney had a slow first half, and changed his shoes hoping to “change his groove.” He finished the game with 16 points.
“I felt it in me. I knew coach believed in me. I got the ball, crossed over, and had a wide-open shot,” Kidd-McKinney said of the final shot. Huff said that was the first time he was given the ball in the final seconds.
The game was tied at 16-16 after a back-and-forth first quarter.
Mountain Brook ended the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 32-24 lead into the half. Gadsden City started the 3rd quarter on an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to one, and took a two-point lead shortly thereafter.
Joe Donald single-handedly erased that brief deficit. He blocked a shot on the defensive end, flung the ball up the floor, and raced down in time to receive the pass for the layup. Jack Kline banked in a three-pointer to give the Spartans a 45-42 lead, heading to the fourth quarter.
Watford finished with a double-double, with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He started the fourth quarter with a basket, but on his next basket, he was whistled for a technical after his second delay-of-game warning on the day.
Gadsden City tied the game with five straight points after the technical free throws and a three-pointer from Kidd-McKinney.
“There was a five-point swing here. Every time it seemed like we had a chance to pull away, they were there. If you’re going to play a game and lose, you’d rather the other team beat you than you lose it. I felt it was more of those guys making some big plays in that game,” McMillan said.
Jack Kline’s and-one gave the Spartans the lead back with just over three minutes to play. The senior rounded out his illustrious career with a 15-point, 8-rebound performance.
“This team’s come a really long way since late May, early June,” Kline said. “It’s a really young team. I hate to see my season and career end this way.”
Sean Elmore also scored eight points for the Spartans and added eight rebounds. Clay Collins scored four.
Kalin Johnson was the star for most of the game for the Titans, scoring 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Mountain Brook’s season ends with a 24-7 record. Gadsden City advances to the Regional Final.