Spartans survive Huffman, move on to state
JACKSONVILLE – Bucky McMillan couldn’t help but laugh after the game.
The laugh from the Mountain Brook head coach sounded like it came from a child waking up on Christmas morning, with an added touch of relief.
It was the first emotion he mustered after the Mountain Brook High School boys basketball team knocked off Huffman, 77-71, on Tuesday morning in the Class 7A Northeast Regional final at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The win advanced Mountain Brook to the state semifinals for the second straight year and the fifth time in the last six (state champs in 2013, 2014 and 2017 and runners-up in 2015).
“Incredible game,” said McMillan. “Two great basketball teams.”
The lead changed hands 21 times. The teams were never separated by more than eight points, and that was in the final minute.
The game was tied after three quarters, and no one was shocked.
“We thought it would be a one-, two-, three-point game, and that’s when we should flourish,” McMillan said.
And they did.
William Lineberry, an all-tournament performer, made a spin move to the basket and scored to give the Spartans a 60-58 lead early in that final period. His team would never trail again. The senior finished the game with 17 points, a feel-good story after not playing much at all a season ago.
“Coach Bucky always told me he thought I could have a big role my senior year,” Lineberry said. “I couldn’t get down last year, because we had a lot of great players. I just learned from practices, learned from games, and those seniors, and waited on my time.”
Trendon Watford was named regional tournament MVP after his 27-point, nine-rebound performance on Tuesday. His ability to still impact the game in the fourth quarter despite being saddled with four fouls played a big part in the Spartans holding onto the lead.
“I just kept attacking and trying to find my teammates every time,” he said.
Watford scored a pair of baskets in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
“He had that attitude that he wasn’t going to be denied,” McMillan said.
On two separate occasions in the final quarter, point guard Paulie Stramaglia put Mountain Brook up by four, once on a coast-to-coast layup and another time by sinking a pair of clutch free throws.
Stramaglia finished with 13 points and hit all six of his free throws. He burst on the scene last season with a strong postseason and is the kind of player that elevates his play on the big stage, according to his coach.
“It’s great to see him do what he’s done all year long in the big games,” McMillan said.
Three Huffman players scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Travarus Carroll. Michael Lockhart added 13 and Jeremiah Williams scored 11.
The Class 7A, Area 6 foes played four times this season, and all four games turned out to be tight contests, with Mountain Brook taking the edge in the final three. Over the last two years, the Spartans have been fortunate enough to win seven of the nine meetings.
The Spartans will play in the state semifinals next Thursday, March 1, at 1:30 p.m.
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