Hadder reaches 300 career wins, Spain Park takes Jag Challenge title
Published on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 11:01 p.m.
- Spain Park extended its winning streak to five in the Jug Challenge at home with the victory as head coach Jon Hadder surpassed 300 wins in his coaching career. (File)
Andrew Simonson Sports Editor
Hoover – The Spain Park Jaguars defeated the Montevallo Bulldogs and John Carroll Catholic Cavaliers to win the Jag Challenge, helping their coach reach an important milestone in the process.
With a semifinal win over Montevallo on Thursday, Dec. 28, Jags coach John Hadder reached his 300th career coaching victory.
After winning 295 games as coach of Vincent boys basketball, Hader needed just five more wins to start the season to reach 300 wins, earning his 300th and 301st wins in the Jag Challenge.
Coach Hader praised the efforts his players showed in their five consecutive wins.
“I told the girls I’m more interested in the growth we’re showing and the number of wins this team has than the numbers I’m involved in,” Hader said.
To earn the coach’s 300th career win, Spain Park needed to open the tournament with a 41-31 victory over the Bulldogs.
The Jags took an early advantage in the matchup between county teams, leading 8-6 at the end of the first quarter thanks to baskets by four different players.
Montevallo’s Tristan Stoutermire took over in the second quarter, scoring 11 points from 10 players on the team as the Bulldogs’ defense held the Jags to just four points in the second quarter.
With Montevallo leading 17-12 at halftime, Spain Park fought back in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
The Jags hit four 3-pointers, including two from Teagan Huey, and outscored the Bulldogs 16-6 in the third quarter, taking a 28-23 lead into the fourth.
From there, Spain Park added 13 more points in the fourth, led by Eva Leonard’s eight points, sealing the 10-point victory.
Huey and Leonard tied for a team-high 11 points, and Jordyn Coley scored seven points in the win.
For Montevallo, Stoutermire led all scorers with 19 points.
Spain Park used that win to put on a dominant performance against John Carroll, winning 54-5 in the championship game on Friday, Dec. 29.
The Jags opened the game with 15 points, including 7 points by Corey, but allowed only 3 points to the Cavs, giving them an early double-digit lead.
From there, Spain Park held John Carroll scoreless in the second and third quarters with strong defense.
The Jags continued to score on the other side of the floor, dropping 27 points in the second quarter alone. Meanwhile, Nyla Calhoun was second with eight points as eight different Jags made at least one basket from the field.
Spain Park scored six points in each of the final two quarters to take a 42-3 lead at halftime and claim the victory.
Calhoun scored a game-high 11 points in the first half alone, Corey had 10 points and Zylan Heiliger had eight points. Tori Flournoy had five points for the Jags, while Leonard, Huey and MC Hunter each had four points.