No threepeat for Spartans

The Mountain Brook Spartans' quest for three straight state boys basketball championships fell short.

Hoover defeated the Spartans 50-43 in the Class 7A final of the AHSAA State Finals at Legacy Arena at the BJCC Saturday night.

"It was a great game," Spartans coach Bucky McMIllan said. "Hats off to Hoover. They were a very determined team. and I'm happy for coach (Charles) Burkett to get Hoover High its first state championship in basketball." 

Mountain Brook had won back-to-back championships in Class 6A. But the shots just didn't fall on this night.

"We executed defensively but for us to beat a good basketball team, we've got to make 30 percent or more of out 3-point shots. Tonight we were 1 of 18,"

McMillan said none the less, he was as proud of this team as the past two champions. 

"Our players this year overacheived so great. There was a time early in practice that I thought we might be a .500 team and not get out of the first round of the area. And here we are, playing on the last night of the season for the championship."

Jack Kline and Terrell Guy each made the all-tournament tea, Hoover's Austin Cherry was named most valuable player.

The Bucs came out blazing from long range. Cherry hit the game's first bucket, a 3 from the corner, and Kevy Eason followed with a trey of his own. Sam Bowman picked a Spartan's pocket and drove in for a hoop to give the Bucs an early 8-0 lead. 

But the Spartans went on an 8-0 run of their own, fueled by Guy's 3-pointer and a putback of his own miss on the offensive glass.

But Leonard Wood finished a transition with a layup and the Bucs led 10-8 after a quarter.

Hoover pushed the lead out to 14-9 before Guy knocked down another 3. Then his steal led to two free throws by Clay Collins to tie the game. The Spartans took their first lead when Kline twisted in a shot from under the basket with 3:45 left in the half.

The Bucs' Smith, however, rang up his first points of the game on a 3-pointer with 2:22 in the half. Guy answered with a nifty move to the basket to put Mountain Brook back up by one. 

With 34 seconds left, Kline was fouled on a move to the basket, and he made one of two free throws to give Mountain Brook a 19-17 lead.

With 23 seconds left, Smith was fouled. He made the first free throw, but missed the second. Teammate Christian Bell grabbed the offensive rebound and got the ball out to Bowman, who drilled a trey to give the Bucs a 21-19 lead.

Kline drew another foul and made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 21-20, the score at the half.

The teams swapped the lead throughout the early part of the second half. The Bucs pushed out to a five-point lead after a couple of nice plays by Wood, but a conventional three-point play by Guy tied it up at 27.

Then Guy found Hunter Lucas open in the halfcourt offense, and Lucas' drive resulted in an and-one to give MB a 30-27 lead with 3:52 left in the the third.

Bowman managed a putback to cut it to 30-29, and a MB foul after the play gave the ball back to the Bucs. Maurice Brown made a high low pass to Wood for two more to give the Bucs a 31-30 lead.

Guy was fouled on a drive to the hoop after a mad scramble and he made two tosses to put Mountain Brook back up one.

But Cherry responded with a 3 and Shaquille Bracey stole the ball and rammed home a dunk to give the Bucs a 36-32 lead.

Kline hit a pair of free throws to cut the margin to 36-34 after three quarters.  

Collins got behind the defense for a layup on the first possession of the fourth quarter and tie the game. 

It was tied at 38 when Hoover's Maurice Brown made a 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:27 left. Cherry added two free throws a minute later to push Hoover in front 43-39. Mountain Brook answered with Kline scoring off a nice feed to cut it back to two with 2:55 to go and after a turnover, Henderson got inside and drew a foul. He made one of two to slice it to a single point.

But Cherry was fouled on a 3-pointer from the corner, and the senior made two of three to push the lead to 45-42 with 2:18 to go. Cherry made another free throw with 50 seconds for a 46-42 lead.

A bad Spartan pass led to a backbreaking lay-in by Bowman and a six-point lead with 30.9 seconds left. 

It looked as if the Spartans might get to cut into the margin with a dead clock when Lucas was fouled on a 3-pointer. But he made just one of three tosses.

The Spartans had to foul, and the Bucs' Brown made two for the final margin with 19.6 seconds left.

Kline led the Spartans with 15 points and seven rebounds and Guy added 15.

Cherry finished with 14 points.