Reclassified, recalibrated
- Updated: February 27, 2023
Absent from the Final Four for two years, Spring Garden finds the mark after slow start, shoots way into Thursday’s state final
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
BIRMINGHAM — The way 3-pointers circled the drain then popped out on Spring Garden on Monday, one would think the Panthers hadn’t played in Birmingham in a while.
The way those 3-pointers started falling, it became obvious Spring Garden felt at home again.
Libby Brown and Kayley Kirk found the range, and Ace Austin chimed in to shoot the perennial Class 1A contenders into the the state final, hitting a combined nine threes to lead Spring Garden past Loachapoka 62-34 in Monday’s semifinals in Legacy Arena.
Back in Birmingham for the first time since 2020, the top-ranked Panther (35-1) will play Marion County in Thursday’s 4 p.m. final. Spring Garden will play for its seventh state title.
“It’s great to be here,” long-time Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been sitting in this seat with a chance to go forward.”
Spring Garden spent the last two seasons in Class 2A, having moved up in class for the only time in the school’s history. Molly Heard-led Pisgah moved down from 3A in the same reclassification cycle, and the Panthers lost to them in the Northeast Regional both years.
Pisgah went on to win the state title both years.
Spring Garden missed the Final Four two years in a row for the first time since 2013 and 2014.
The Panthers bumped back down to 1A for the current reclassification, which started in the current school year. Their 35-1 record speaks to how it’s gone leading into the final game.
“This feels really good,” Austin said. “I’m really proud of these kids and how they’ve handled this whole year and their desire to want to get back.”
FIve players on the current roster played in the 2020 state tournament, led by Ace Austin. Then a seventh-grader, she scored 10 points to help the Panthers win their sixth state title.
Now a sophomore, she struggled to find the 3-point mark early Monday. She had two shots get into the cylinder then roll out.
Brown and Kirk had similar misfortune as Spring Garden missed its first six tries before Brown hit one at 2:13 of the first quarter.
It’s hard to blame them. They hadn’t shot into that deep Legacy Arena well in a while. Brown, who moved to Spring Garden from Georgia, had never played in the venue.
“I had cold chills going down the court,” Brown said. “I had cold chills all up and down my arm. It felt pretty good.”
Spring Garden wound up hitting nine of 28 attempts from three. Austin hit two and led the Panthers with 20 points. Brown hit four en route to 14 points, and Kirk made three in a 17-point performance.
“It’s a huge part of our game,” Austin said. “We shoot hundreds every day, and you hope to make five or six in a game.
“I thought Libby did a great job of maybe being the unknown person who made a difference. I think people are starting to figure out who she is right now, but she made a name for herself tonight.”
The other part of Spring Garden’s winning formula Monday travels to any arena. The Panthers held Loachapoka to 28.3 percent shooting.
Jasmyn Thomas led the Indians with 12 points, and hard-driving Taylah Murph added 10, but they combined to shoot 8-for-33 from the field.
As for Spring Garden, Ace Austin’s return to Birmingham proved triumphant across the stats sheet. She pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out nine assists and came up with four steals … all game-high totals.
It put her one victory away from her second state title.
“It’s been two years since we’ve been here, and it’s just been too long since we’ve been back here,” she said. “It’s just a great feeling.
“You really can’t describe the feeling. It’s just exciting. It’s just a different environment.”
CLASS 1A FINAL FOUR
GIRLS SEMIFINAL
SPRING GARDEN 62, LOACHAPOKA 34
SPRING GARDEN (35-1) – Ace Austin 7-19 4-4 20, Kayley Kirk 7-13 0-0 17, Chloe Rule 3-5 3-4 9, Libby Brown 5-11 0-0 14, Maggie Jarrett 0-2 0-0 0, Avery Steward 0-1 0-0 0, Maggie Reedy 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-52 7-8 62.
LOACHAPOKA (26-11) – Taylah Murph 5-16 0-0 10, Jasmyn Thomas 3-17 4-4 12, Kaylan Dowdell 2-7 0-0 4, Myana Chenier 2-2 2-2 6, Destiny Dennis 0-2 0-0 0, Jasmyaine McCloud 0-1 0-0 0, Essence Key 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 13-46 6-6 34.
| Spring Garden | 18 | 21 | 12 | 11 – | 62 |
| Loachapoka | 13 | 8 | 6 | 7 – | 34 |
3-point goals: Spring Garden 9-28 (Austin 2-8, Kirk 3-8, Brown 4-10, Jarrett 0-2); Loachapoka 2-12 (Murph 0-2, Thomas 2-8, Dennis 0-1, McCloud 0-1). Total fouls: Spring Garden 6, Loachapoka 6. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Fouled out: none.
Cover photo: Spring Garden’s Ace Austin drives against Loachapoka’s Taylah Murph during their Class 1A state semifinal Monday in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena. (Photo by Shannon Fagan)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login