4A, AREA 5 GIRLS: PCA back to business with win over Wilcox Central
PCA’s Hannah Jones skies over defenders for two of her 22 points in the Lady Panthers’ win over Wilcox Central on Thursday. (Dylan Hurst)
By DYLAN HURST
PRATTVILLE -- The Prattville Christian Academy girls’ basketball team opened defense of its two consecutive state championships on Thursday with a 62-32 win over Wilcox Central in the 4A Area 5 Tournament championship game in the PCA gym.
The Lady Panthers will return to the sub-regionals to defend their two consecutive state championships, but they will see some new teams this year, having moved up from 3A to 4A during the offseason with the implementation of the Competitive Balance Factor.
And while graduated senior Ella Jane Connell isn’t in the building, the nucleus of the team returns in shooting guard Avery Rogers and forwards Hannah Jones and CoCo Thomas.
“I think that experience is huge, and not only have these girls that have been there, but they know what it takes to get there and they know what it takes if you want to move on to the playoffs,” PCA coach Jason Roberson said. “We also still have two seniors now who have been starters in the past two championship games.”
The win was the fourth area title for the Panthers in 11 years as an Alabama High School Athletic Association member and the first since 2020.
Roberson, a longtime coach with PCA, has brought success to the girls’ program and credits most of it to a change in attitude amongst the players, saying “After we made it into the playoffs then made it to the final four, we started to feel like we belong there.”
The Lady Panthers haven’t let up this postseason, and were ready for Thursday’s game despite facing the Jaguars for the third time this season.
“Although we didn’t have one of our starters playing tonight, I felt like our girls gave great effort,” said Roberson. “We had already beaten them twice this season, but our girls were ready and that says a lot…and they know we’re five games away from our goal.”
Jones led the team in scoring with 22 points and Kayden Carr scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Baylee Rodgers scored seven points, while Ally Blankenship and Jenna McClendon both scored six points. Avery Rodgers added five points.
Prattville Christian (29-3) will remain home to play Montevallo in a sub-region game on Monday at 7 p.m. Wilcox Central will also be in a sub-region game, going to Centreville on Monday to play Bibb County at 7 p.m.