Spain Park fends off rival Oak Mountain to win area opener
Published on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 12:27 AM
Written by Alec Etheridge | Publisher
North Shelby – The Spain Park Jaguars fended off a second-half onslaught against the Oak Mountain Eagles on Friday, Jan. 5, winning a close game on the road and opening up area play.
The Jaguars led by 12 points at the half thanks to a solid first half on both ends of the court, but Oak Mountain came back into the game in the second half and narrowed the lead to single digits by the end of the third quarter and almost caught up. Back to the final quarter.
But Spain Park did what it needed to do, going 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter for a 56-50 victory and a six-point win to open Class 7A, Area 6 area play.
The game got off to an exciting start with a back-and-forth battle in the first quarter, with Spain Park showing some heat from the field from the start and Oak Mountain showing some heat from the free throw line.
TJ Lamar and Corbin Long each scored four points for the Jags in the first quarter, but Nick Richardson scored five thanks to a 3-pointer and a made field goal, and Cooper Gunn scored one on a free shot. It was set to 2. Line throws gave Spain Park 14 points in the first quarter.
Oak Mountain didn’t have the same success on the field, but Gray Williams and Emmanuel Johnson did their part by making free throws.
Williams totaled five points on one 3-pointer and two free throws in the opening half, while Johnson went 3-for-4 from the line and scored three points himself. Will Patterson then added a field goal, giving the Eagles 10 points in the period.
But Spain Park grabbed some early momentum and the Jags continued to build on it with a big second quarter on both ends of the floor.
The Jaguars started off defensively, holding the Eagles to just eight points in the second period, their lowest score of the game, but that allowed their offense to push the ball and take advantage of their offense.
The Jags were on fire from the free throw line itself, Lamar in particular. He scored his seven points in the quarter, with all seven of his points coming from the line thanks to a 7-8 mark.
Harrison Stewart and Parker Chase each added a 3-pointer to contribute to the scoring, Jonathan Fomber made a field goal and Long made an additional free throw.
This group of scorers helped Spain Park build a 12-point, 30-18 lead into the halftime break.
From there, Spain Park’s offense remained consistent for the rest of the night, as the Jags never scored fewer than 13 points in any quarter.
However, Oak Mountain was able to make adjustments at halftime to give its offense confidence in the second half.
The Eagles had their best quarter of the game in the third period, staying within striking distance thanks to a 17-point period.
Williams and Will O’Dell each made a 3-pointer and a field goal for five points in the period, while Chris Cunard added two field goals of his own for four points.
However, Long and Chapman Blevins came up big in the third quarter and led Spain Park into the final quarter.
Long continued his strong night from the line for the Jags by going 4-4 with another field goal from the free throw line in the quarter. Meanwhile, Blevins added two field goals, one of which was an and-one, and also made a free throw.
Thanks to this performance, Spain Park maintained an eight-point advantage, 43-35, going into the final quarter.
Oak Mountain then used the three-ball in the final quarter, with Williams, Kevin Jasinski and Cunard each scoring one goal to move closer to the lead, with Williams and Cunard also adding field goals.
It was part of a 15-point quarter in which the Eagles chipped away at the lead, but Spain Park’s free throw shooting remained the key.
The Jaguars went 7-10 from the line, with Richardson leading the way with a 3-4 lead and Lamar and Chase going 2-2.
Those seven free throws were the difference between the Jags scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter and clinching a six-point victory.
Lamar led the Jaguars with a 17-point night, including a 9-10 mark from the free throw line and four made field goals. Long also scored 15 points in the win, and Richardson finished with eight points.
Oak Mountain trailed Williams by 16 points thanks to three 3-pointers, one field goal and five free throws. Cunard also reached double figures with 12, while O’Dell was just behind with nine.