Northeast Regional: Eagles dominate following quick start, resilient Lady Eagles fall
JACKSONVILLE – Chris Love felt a peace entering the Oak Mountain High School boys basketball team’s game on Thursday morning.
He admitted that it’s not a feeling a coach gets often before a big game, but the Eagles’ head coach was confident.
“We were as prepared as we could be,” Love said.
That confidence was followed by a brilliant performance from his basketball team, as Oak Mountain routed Huntsville 60-36 in the Class 7A Northeast Regional semifinals at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“It was pretty fun,” said guard Zane Nelson, who led the charge with 20 points in the game for the Eagles. “We had a little nervousness before the game — I think all of us did — because none of us had been in that situation.”
The Eagles covered up their pregame jitters well, as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead within the first 2:35 of the game.
“Once the game started to get going, we were good,” said Wilder Evers, who scored eight straight points in that game-opening run.
Oak Mountain held a 15-5 lead after a quarter of action and extended that lead to 25-7 after another spurt to begin the second quarter. After the Eagles took a 33-15 lead into the halftime break, Love instructed his team to not let its guard down.
“The start was huge and we told our kids they would make a run,” Love said.
Huntsville did make a push, cutting the deficit to 39-27 after three quarters. But Oak Mountain dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 21-9 to put the game away.
“I was really proud of how we withstood and settled down in the fourth quarter and did what we needed,” Love said.
Oak Mountain (20-8) is in its first regional tournament since 2016, when the current Eagles roster was still in middle school. Evers, Nelson and Shaver each commented on the size and energy of the school’s student section.
“As a kid watching it in sixth grade, and being able to play as a sophomore, that was awesome,” Will Shaver said. Shaver contributed seven points and 11 rebounds on the day.
The Eagles will face the winner between Hoover and Sparkman in the regional final on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m.
Click here to purchase photos from the Eagles' victory.
Resilient Lady Eagles fall
The Oak Mountain girls basketball team faced a number of challenges throughout the season, most notably injuries and inconsistent play.
But the Lady Eagles (10-18) never let those things slow them down, even as their season came to an end on Thursday morning. Oak Mountain fell to Gadsden City 47-38 in the Class 7A Northeast Regional semifinals at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“All I could tell them was how proud I was of them,” Oak Mountain head coach Beth Parmer said after the game. “That’s cliché, I know, but that’s all I know at this point. I’ve told them for the last couple weeks that nobody expected them to be here.”
Gadsden City (26-5), known for its shooting prowess, drained a couple 3-pointers right off the bat and opened up an 8-0 lead. The lead hovered around that mark for much of the first three quarters.
When it looked as if Gadsden City was ready to put the finishing touches on the game — opening up a 16-point lead with 5:54 to play — the Lady Eagles didn’t lay down. They proceeded to go on a 10-0 run to get back within striking distance, thanks to three baskets by Hannah Edwards and a 3 from Abby Gordon.
But Gadsden City scored the next six points to hang on for the victory.
“Like they always have, they clawed and scratched their way back and fought and we made it a ball game,” Parmer said.
Edwards battled a knee injury for much of the season, but came off the bench in her final game and contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Edwards, a ULM signee. “I’ve been fighting all season to get back on the court and it wasn’t easy. I had a lot of people telling me not to come back, save yourself for the next level, but I really wanted to come back and play with this team one last time.”
Edwards was one of four seniors on this year’s team, along with Abi Brown, Savannah Garrett and Ta’Niyah Smith. After falling on a buzzer beater in last year’s area tournament, the Lady Eagles made it back to regionals for the first time in several years, even with just 10 wins on the season.
“It means everything to me,” Brown said. “Last year, that was our biggest goal and we had the team to do it. This year, we were stuck on the (Tuscaloosa County) game (in the area tournament) and that pushed us to get us where we are.”
Brown also noted the environment, along with a loud Gadsden City student section, as a factor for Oak Mountain’s slow start.
“It was shaky at first but I think we all got used to it,” said Gordon, who knocked down three triples in the game, scoring nine points to along with four boards.
Riley Sullivan contributed seven points, four rebounds and four assists, while Smith had four points and seven boards.
Gadsden City will face the winner between Hoover and Sparkman in the regional final on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Click here to purchase photos from the Lady Eagles' game.
Other regional action
There were several other local teams playing in regional semifinals on Thursday. Hoover's boys and girls also played at Jacksonville State, with the Lady Bucs rolling to victory over Huntsville. and the boys falling to Sparkman
At Wallace State, Mountain Brook and Spain Park's boys won, while the Vestavia Hills and Spain Park girls emerged victorious as well.