Spartans win in double-overtime, advance to 7A final

The chance for a threepeat is still alive for the Mountain Brook Spartans, but it took a triple in double to do it.

Terrell Guy's 3-pointer off a pass from Jack Kline with 0.5 seconds left in the second overtime lifted the Spartans to 72-69 win over Theodore in the Class 7A semifinals of the AHSAA boys basketball State Final Thursday night at Legacy Arena at the BJCC.

"What a game!" coach Bucky McMillan said. "The play was the one we drew up in the huddle. I knew Terrell would hit it. One thing I say about Terrell is he might miss 20 in a row, but he thinks he'll make the next one. He plays with a lot of guts."

Guy said, "I knew Jack would be double-teamed because he was playing so well. And I knew I'd hit the shot."

Kline finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two assists. Guy scored 19 points, making three of six from 3-point range.

The Spartans had to rally from deficits throughout the game.

"I felt like we were pressing, trying to hit the home run," McMillan said. "Once we stopped pressing so much, I knew we'd be OK."

But not stop pressing on defense. The scrappy, trapping defense hounded the Bobcats into 26 turnovers. Mountain Brook scored 26 points off those turnovers.

It looked at times like the Spartans would put Theodore away in both the end of regulation and the first overtime. But the Bobcats clawed back each time.

Both teams came out firing early to start the game.

McMillan went to his bench early, subbing liberally all the way down his bench regardless of score.

But the Spartans' shots began to miss, and Theodore's athleticism took over, led by Alabama signee Dazon Ingram, who scored 5 points as the Bobcats rolled out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter. It was a physical, intense opening period, and the officials whistled the Spartans for eighth fouls and Theodore for six.

Two quick baskets by Kline — off a feed and a off a steal — and a baseline drive by Will Hartley cut the lead to 20-18, and Terrell Guy's two free throws at 6:29 of the second tied the game. A Kline bucket gave the Spartans a 22-20 lead with 5:48 left in the half.

A Guy 3 with about 5 minutes left extended the lead to 25-20 before two Theodore free throws ended the run.

While the Spartans' pressure forced some turnovers, the Bobcats managed to break it enough times to retake the lead on a pair of free throws by Rodney Gill, and then Ingram hot a bucket for a 30-26 lead with under 3 in the half.

But Hunter Lucas drilled in a 3 from the left corner with 2:13 left in the half to cut the margin to one. A quick steal led to a Clay Collins' layup and a one-point lead.

Kline was fouled with 57.2 seconds left, and made one of two to give the Spartans a 32-30 lead.

A runout pass led to an Alonzo Moore bucket for Theodore to tie the score, and the Spartans played for one shot but they turned it over. The Bobcats missed a halfcourt shot, and the half ended tied at 32.

The Bobcats shot 57 percent in the first half, led the rebounding 19-18, but turned it over 10 times. The Spartans shot 37 percent, but hit 4 of 11 3-pointers and committed just seven turnovers. Both teams went 10 deep in the first half, and 21 fouls were called, 11 on the Spartans.

Kyante Pines hit a bucket and a 3 to get the Bobcats out to a 39-34 lead, and Ingram added a basket off the glass to stretch it to 41-34 with 5:17 left in the third quarter. Ingram was fouled and made two free throws and a layup for an 11-point lead at 45-34 before Collins made a layup on a break with 17 seconds left to cut it to 45-36.

Hartley added a basket after a steal just before the quarter, and the Bobcats took a 45-38 lead into the final period. 

The final frame opened with a Kline basket, and a steal, a foul and two free throws by Kline to bring it to 45-42 with 7:40 left.

Pressure forced a bad pass into backcourt. Out of timeout, Hartley muscled home a bucket, and a turnover led to a Kline hoop and a one-point lead with 6:57 left.

Moore answered with a hoop to retake the lead at 47-46 with 6:36 to go. He followed that with a jumper for a three point lead at 49-46 a minute later.

Jared Henderson then scored back-to-back layups for the Spartans to take a 50-49 lead with 3:10 left in regulation. A Guy 3 with 2:32 left pushed it to 53-49, but Rodney Gill and LaMical answered to tie the game and force overtime.

Mountain Brook (27-7) will now try to make it three state championships in a row when the Spartans take on Hoover, which beat Robert E. Lee in the first semifinal, also in double-overtime. 

That game will be Saturday night at 7 p.m.