Overtime thriller
- Updated: February 12, 2022
Spring Garden overcomes much adversity, takes down Sand Rock in overtime for 2A Area 12 title; includes all boys area finals
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES
2A-12: Championship game: Spring Garden 69, Sand Rock 64 (OT)
3A-11: Championship game: Piedmont 59, Weaver 25
4A-9: Championship game: Handley 69, Anniston 68 (OT)
6A-13: Championship: Oxford 57, Springville 52
By Shannon Fagan
Special to East Alabama Sports Today
SPRING GARDEN –The Class 2A, Area 12 boys basketball championship game between Spring Garden and Sand Rock on Friday night was the kind of contest worthy of a movie script.
Panther senior point guard Cooper Austin injured his right foot at Springville on Jan. 31 after landing awkwardly on another player’s foot. It was feared the injury was season-ending.
However, Austin iced and rehabbed and gave it a go for the first time since that game Friday night, and he more than made a difference.
Austin sank the game-tying shot with 7.1 seconds remaining in regulation, knotting the game at 56 and ultimately sending it to overtime.
Then In overtime, senior guard Andrew Floyd connected on a clutch 3-pointer with 1:06 to go, giving the Panthers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 69-64 victory for the area title.
The seventh-ranked Panthers (20-8) will host No. 8 North Sand Mountain in sub-regional action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a rematch from last year’s sub-regional round. Sand Rock (17-14) travels to third-ranked Section, also on Tuesday night.
Austin finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. His performance was certainly tournament MVP worthy, but another performance from fellow senior Chaz Pope was a little more so.
Pope posted 20 points, five boards, five steals, three assists and a block for the Panthers. In Austin’s absence, Pope picked up the point guard slot, helping the Panthers not miss a beat.
Oh, and Pope himself has battled back from a broken ankle suffered in the middle of football season.
“All year long we’ve had a lot of battles to overcome,” Austin said. “In football, we lost Chaz, lost Andrew Bates, lost Landon Gowens for a little while. It’s just kind of like the next guy up. You’ve got to fill the spot.
“You can’t dwell on it. It’s just Spring Garden basketball. You’re not going to come out and be 100 percent every night. You’re not going to come out and be on fire every night. Sometimes you just have to claw and scrape to find that win. I think the team did a good job tonight of doing that.”
Pope deflected the praise of the tournament MVP honor.
“It’s great feeling, but I’m just happy for me and my team,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without my team. They had the biggest part in it.
“It’s easier for me to look good when my teammates are good. It spreads everything out. All you see is me driving to the goal because everything is spread out, but if they come pack it in, I kick it to one of our guards and they’re going to knock it down. If they collapse, feed it to John and Jacob (Welsh) down there.”
Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin, who is now one victory away from 900 in his boys and girls coaching career, said his son’s injury turned out to be a “blessing by disguise.”
“Even before he got hurt, two weeks ago I was already thinking ‘He’s got to be a shooting guard against Sand Rock. I’ve got to have a different point guard,’” Coach Austin said. “Chaz has had to run point guard the past two-and-a-half weeks. He has done a great job and we were able to move Cooper.
“When they went man, it gave us two better ball handlers, two better decision makers up top instead of it having to be in Cooper’s hands all the time. The injury was not by design, but we did have a little plan, a strategy ahead of that, that he was going to be a shooting guard tonight,
not the point guard.”
The Wildcats took a 47-46 lead late in the third quarter following a pair of Jacob St. Clair free throws. Cooper Austin tied the game at 47 heading into the fourth on a free throw with three seconds remaining.
From there, both teams seemingly traded shots up and the down the court. St. Clair made a jumper inside the lane with 43.7 seconds to go in regulation to give the Wildcats a 56-54 advantage, but that set the stage for Cooper Austin’s heroics to send the game into overtime.
Cooper Austin had a bit of deja vu on the game-tying shot.
“Last year, the first time we played them here, we drew up a play. We were down two, and we drew up a play for Weston (Kirk) to drive,” Cooper Austin said. “He got stopped, kicked it out to me. As I shot it, the buzzer went off. I missed and we lost.
“Ever since that game, a lot of the times when I’m in the gym, we’re down two, area championship game, clock in my head, 3-2-1. I’m just kind of visualizing it. Daddy drew up the play for me and I made the play.”
Spring Garden outscored Sand Rock 13-8 in overtime.
Shannon Fagan is Sports Director of WEIS Radio in Centre.
BOYS AREA TOURNAMENT FINALS
CLASS 1A
Area 1 at McIntosh
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
McIntosh 78, Millry 38
Area 2 at Pleasant Home
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Pleasant Home 67, Florala 47
Area 3 at Georgiana
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Brantley vs. J.F. Shields, 7 p.m.
Area 4 at Southern Choctaw
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Southern Choctaw 33, Marengo 30
Area 5 at Keith
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Keith 69, R.C. Hatch 60
Area 6 at Loachapoka
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Loachapoka 71, Central-Hayneville 44
Area 7 at Autaugaville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Autaugaville 73, Maplesville 28
Area 8 at Winterboro
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Talladega Co. Central 61, Woodland 52
Area 9 at Pickens County
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Pickens County 64, South Lamar 45
Area 10 at Faith Christian
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Ragland vs. Faith Christian, 6 p.m.
Area 11 at Cornerstone
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Sumiton Christian vs. Cornerstone, 3 p.m.
Area 12 at Marion County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Meek 56, Marion County 55
Area 13 at Skyline
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Skyline 88, Valley Head 56
Area 14 at Belgreen
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Belgreen 75, Phillips 34
Area 15 at Decatur Heritage
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Decatur Heritage 76, Oakwood Adventist 62
Area 16 at Covenant Christian
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Covenant Christian vs. R.A. Hubbard, 7 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Area 1 at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
St. Luke’s Episcopal 58, Orange Beach 44
Area 2 at Geneva County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Geneva County 70, Abbeville 61
Area 3 at Ariton
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
GW Long 51, Ariton 46
Area 4 at Leroy
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Clarke County 60, Leroy 49
Area 5 at Highland Home
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Highland Home 63 Calhoun 50
Area 6 at Francis Marion
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Greene County 61, Francis Marion 59
Area 7 at Lanett
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Lanett 70, LaFayette 57
Area 8 at Coosa Central
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Central Coosa 43, Vincent 29
Area 9 at Midfield
Finals, Wed., Feb. 9
Midfield 84, Westminster-Oak Mtn 37
Area 10 at Aliceville
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Red Bay 46, Aliceville 43
Area 11 at Cleveland
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Cleveland 76, Southeastern 59
Area 12 at Spring Garden
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Spring Garden 69, Sand Rock 64
Area 13 at Cold Springs
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Cold Springs 62, Addison 40
Area 14 at Tanner
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Tanner 65, Hatton 62
Area 15 at Section
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Section 77, North Sand Mountain 51
Area 16 at Sheffield
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Mars Hill Bible 62, Sheffield 53
CLASS 3A
Area 1 at Cottage Hill Christian
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Cottage Hill Christian 70, Mobile Christian 31
Area 2 at Hillcrest-Evergreen
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Hillcrest-Evergreen 54, T.R. Miller 42
Area 3 at Houston Academy
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Houston Academy vs. Wicksburg, 6 p.m.
Area 4 at Opp
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Opp 61, New Brockton 33
Area 5 at Monroe County
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Excel 67, Monroe County 49
Area 6 at Montgomery Catholic
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Montgomery Academy 43, Montgomery Catholic 41
Area 7 at Dadeville
Wed., Feb. 9
Dadeville 50, Reeltown 34
Area 8 at Hale County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Southside-Selma 68, Hale County 61
Area 9 at Childersburg
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Childersburg 74, Saks 62
Area 10 at Winfield
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Winfield 57, Oakman 54
Area 11 at Piedmont
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Piedmont 59, Weaver 25
Area 12 at Geraldine
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Hokes Bluff 50, Geraldine 45
Area 13 at Brindlee Mountain
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Brindlee Mountain 51, Susan Moore 40
Area 14 at Plainview
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Plainview 80, Sylvania 49
Area 15 at Danville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Danville 53, East Lawrence 44
Area 16 at Lauderdale County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Lauderdale County 63, Clements 42
CLASS 4A
Area 1 at Escambia County
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Williamson vs. Escambia County, 6 p.m.
Area 2 at Straughn
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Straughn 36, Dale County 35
Area 3 at B.T. Washington
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
B.T. Washington 52, Saint James 37
Area 4 at Jackson
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Jackson def. Sumter Central, no score available
Area 5 at B.T. Washington Magnet
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Lamp 30, B.T. Washington Magnet 29
Area 6 at Bibb County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Bibb County 61, Dallas County 43
Area 7 at Holt
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Holt 69, Northside 50
Area 8 at Indian Springs
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Fultondale 58, Indian Springs 45
Area 9 at Handley
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Handley 69, Anniston 68
Area 10 at Jacksonville
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Etowah vs. Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
Area 11 at Oneonta
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Oneonta 73, Good Hope 60
Area 12 at Haleyville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Haleyville 80, Hamilton 68
Area 13 at Westminster Christian, Huntsville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Westminster Christian 49, Priceville 33
Area 14 at DAR
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
DAR 67, Madison County 57
Area 15 at West Morgan
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Brooks 53, West Morgan 50 (OT)
Area 16 at Central-Florence
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Deshler 76, Central-Florence 75 (OT)
CLASS 5A
Area 1 at B.C. Rain
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
LeFlore 48, B.C. Rain 43
Area 2 at Faith Academy
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
UMS-Wright vs. Faith Academy, 4 p.m.
Area 3 at Carroll
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Carroll 56, Headland 52
Area 4 at Charles Henderson
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Charles Henderson 37, Greenville 34
Area 5 at Pike Road
Finals, Wed., Feb. 9
Brewbaker Tech 76, Pike Road 72
Area 6 at Marbury
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Marbury 60, Elmore County 59
Area 7 at Sipsey Valley
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Sipsey Valley 44, Central-Tuscaloosa 41
Area 8 at Sylacauga
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Sylacauga 61, Central, Clay County 52
Area 9 at Wenonah
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Wenonah 39, Fairfield 38
Area 10 at Ramsay
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Ramsay 54, Leeds 43
Area 11 at Alexandria
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Moody 69, Alexandria 62
Area 12 at Center Point
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Center Point 58, Corner 38
Area 13 at Douglas
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Boaz 57, Douglas 49
Area 14 at Guntersville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Guntersville 89, Fairview 70
Area 15 at Lawrence County
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Russellville 64, Lawrence County 46
Area 16 at Lee-Huntsville
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Lee-Huntsville 54, Mae Jemison 47
CLASS 6A
Area 1 at McGill-Toolen Catholic
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
McGill-Toolen Catholic 64, Blount 48
Area 2 at Spanish Fort
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Spanish Fort 80, Robertsdale 33
Area 3 at Park Crossing
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Park Crossing 72, Lee-Montgomery 55
Area 4 at Valley
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 10
Eufaula 82, Valley 50
Area 5 at Benjamin Russell
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Benjamin Russell 77, Stanhope Elmore 46
Area 6 at Pelham
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Pelham 69, Chilton County 50
Area 7 at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa
Finals, Sat., Feb. 12
Paul Bryant vs. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 6 p.m.
Area 8 at Hueytown
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Hueytown 47, McAdory 39
Area 9 at Homewood
Wed., Feb. 9
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Homewood 76, Mountain Brook 63
Area 10 at Minor
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Minor 54, Jasper 36
Area 11 at Huffman
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Huffman 66, Woodlawn 48
Area 12 at Pinson Valley
Finals, Thur., Feb. 10
Pinson Valley 54, Clay-Chalkville 50
Area 13 at Springville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Oxford 57, Springville 52
Area 14 at Cullman
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Cullman 64, Hartselle 48
Area 15 at Buckhorn
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Scottsboro 60, Buckhorn 53
Area 16 at Hazel Green
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Hazel Green 81, Columbia 36
CLASS 7A
Area 1 at Baker
Finals, Sat., Feb., 12
Theodore vs. Baker, 1 p.m.
Area 2 at Fairhope
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 10
Fairhope 39, Murphy 36
Area 3 at Enterprise
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Enterprise 66, Jeff Davis 30
Area 4 at Smiths Station
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Smiths Station 70, Auburn 54
Area 5 at Hoover
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Oak Mountain 66, Thompson 53
Area 6 at Vestavia Hills
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Spain Park 59, Vestavia Hills 56
Area 7 at Huntsville
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
Huntsville 54, Sparkman 49
Area 8 at Bob Jones
Finals, Fri., Feb. 11
James Clemens 69, Austin 65
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