Hobbled Ace
- Updated: February 11, 2025
Austin plays nearly three quarters after reaggravating ankle injury, still finishes with 32 points to lead Spring Garden to NE Regional final.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Ricky Austin dutifully asked if his hobbled daughter needed to come out of Spring Garden’s Northeast Regional semifinal against Spring Garden on Tuesday.
He knew what Ace Austin’s answer would be.
“I kept asking her, ‘Do you want to come out? Do you want to come out?” Spring Gardens’ coach said. “I couldn’t even get it out. She would say no.”
Austin hobbled on her bum right ankle for nearly three full quarters but scored 32 points to lead Spring Garden to a 54-34 victory over Winterboro.
The Panthers (33-1) earned a berth in the Class 1A regional final on Feb. 18, against Ider.
Ace Austin, the Alabama signee and a top candidate to win Alabama’s Miss Basketball award for this season, sprained the same ankle during volleyball season. She crashed to the floor after driving between two Winterboro defenders at 6:39 of the second quarter Tuesday and came up hobbled.
She had 14 points at the time, and that total stood up until halftime. She lost a step on her driving game but scored 18 in the second half.
“I could tell I was always a step late,” Ace Austin said. “I still got past them, but I went over to mom (Spring Garden assistant coach Dan Austin) and was like, ‘I’m just a step behind.
“That’s kind of how I felt. I wasn’t really explosive, but I battled through it, and that kind of just describes Spring Garden. We’re not going to let anything take us down.”
Ace Austin had help. Maggie Jarret, who has played very position on the court through her career, took some of the point guard load off of Ace Austin. Jarrett also scored 12 points, hitting three of four 3-pointers. Olivia Law added 10 points.
Ace Austin’s day also included seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Her biggest stretch of offense came in the third quarter, when she hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.
It kept Winterboro at bay despite pointers from Kalyria Massingale and Katelyn Brown and a Kailynn WIlliams layup in the same stretch.
Spring Garden came out of that exchange with a 43-29 lead.
“It took a little pressure off of everybody,” Ricky Austin said. “We just kind of loosened up.
“I thought, ‘Well, she might not be able to attack the basket.’ I could tell she was a step slow, and I was worried about her getting by somebody, still trying to finish, but I said, ‘Well, at least we’ve still got the shot.’ It was a comfort to see that she could still get both feet under her shooting the three. I thought, ‘If we can get her to that point and get her to the free-throw line, maybe we can finish this thing.’”
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