AISA FINALS: Pike Liberal Arts, Glenwood win AAA titles

By TIM GAYLE

Mario Davenport knew what was coming. 

So did everyone else at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Wedneday afternoon. And, yet, it wasn’t the play that was called.

Tuscaloosa Academy’s Sam Rowley moved to the right and threw up a potential game-tying 3 pointer with seconds left in the Alabama Independent School Association’s Class AAA state championship game.

Davenport moved with him, blocking the shot and coming up with the loose ball to preserve Pike Liberal Arts’ 55-51 win over the Knights in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

“I knew he was going to shoot,” Davenport said. “I had to contest it. I got enough to get the block.”

The Pike Liberal sophomore was fouled by Rowley on the scramble for the ball and sank a free throw on the other end of the court for the final margin.

“We thought he’d be a mismatch nightmare for Sam,” Pike Liberal Arts coach Matt Brown said. “No. 14 (Rowley) is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in AISA. We knew if we were going to disrupt him, we had to find somebody who was very athletic and could jump. Mario’s our man. If it wasn’t for Mario, we probably wouldn’t have won that game.”

Rowley brought his team back from a second-half deficit with a pair of 3 pointers in the third quarter and two more in the fourth to finish with 29 points. But his last three attempts all failed in the final 92 seconds of the game and his last shot was supposed to be a pass.

“That last play was designed for Sam to drive the gap and kick it to Walker McKee in the corner for the shot,” Tuscaloosa Academy coach Barry Sanderson said. “Walker was open. But Sam’s not scared. He wants the moment and I don’t fault him for taking that shot. Give Pike credit. They played great defense.”

Tuscaloosa Academy had just four field goals in the first quarter, falling behind the Patriots by six. It was a trend that would continue through most of the game. Every time TA cut into the lead, Pike Lib would push it back out. 

“We had a good game plan, we had to come out and play good defense,” Brown said. “We played the best game we’ve played all year long.”

Still, the Knights would finally get their chance in the final moments as Rowley hit a 3 pointer, then scored three points on two consecutive trips to the free-throw line. A turnover on the Patriots’ next possession ended in a short jumper by Wilson King with 2:08 left, but the Knights wouldn’t score again.

“We had been playing a 1-3-1 (zone) and switched to ‘man’ during the timeout and came up with the steal and went up 51-50,” Sanderson said. “After that, we just couldn’t make another play. But we gave ourselves a chance. Give Pike credit, they’ve got a really good team and made more plays than we did today.”

Javon Chrisian led Pike Liberal (19-2) with 21 points, followed by Austin Cross with 12 and Davenport with 10.

It was Sanderson’s fourth consecutive trip to the finals since taking over as the Knights’ basketball coach in 2017. While playing for a state championship is an annual goal for the program, this year’s 24-2 record that includes a loss to Heritage of Columbus, Miss., might have been a little surprising, considering Rowley was the only returning starter. 

“They’ve had such a great season and we’ve won so big, we never got in tight games to learn how to win a game down the stretch,” Sanderson said. “That’s a credit to them, how they played all season.”

Making the all-tournament team were Drew Nelson, Chrisian and Cross of Pike Liberal Arts, McKee and Rowley of Tuscaloosa Academy, Clarke Prep’s Cole Pritchett and Lee-Scott Academy’s Joseph Horne. 

Glenwood girls win AAA title

It was the perfect storm for the Clarke Prep girls.

Glenwood’s top playmaker, Jasmyn Burts, was on the bench in foul trouble, while their top post player, Mya Brooks, was on the training table with an injured left ankle in the third quarter of the Alabama Independent School Association’s Class AAA state finals.

The game was tied at 18-18 early in the third quarter when Payton Corbett rescued Glenwood with six straight points. Burt returned in the fourth quarter to score eight points and help the Gators pull away for a 40-27 victory at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Wednesday morning.

“I’m very proud of Payton Corbett because she stepped up big-time today, handling the ball and scoring some big baskets to start the second half with Jasmyn in foul trouble,” Glenwood coach Dusty Perdue said. “Then when Jasmyn comes in, we hit another gear.”

Corbett, who hit a pair of 3 pointers in the second quarter when Burts was on the bench with three personal fouls, took over again when Burts picked up her fourth 33 seconds into the third quarter, hitting another 3, driving the lane for a basket and hitting a free throw for a 24-18 lead. 

Clarke Prep was still within four points when Burts returned to the floor and connected on three straight possessions to give Glenwood some breathing room.

“I think she’s the best player in the state in AISA, hands down,” Perdue said. “We played against a very good player in the AISA in Grace Davis, but she’s a sophomore. She’s going to be really, really good, but right now, I have the best player.”

Wednesday’s victory by Glenwood (23-1) was the second this season over Clarke Prep and helped ease the sting of last year’s loss to Lee-Scott in the finals.  

Perdue wasn’t the coach of that 2020 team, but he did watch the loss to their arch-rivals in the finals.

“I was here to watch that last year and it was redemption,” he said. “We were returning five seniors and then you add Jasmyn, it was redemption for us. For you to start the season as No. 1 and finish the season as No. 1, that’s pretty tough. They were playing as the underdog and they had nothing to lose. In the end, I think our senior leadership really showed up.”

Corbett led Glenwood with 17 points, followed by Burts with 12 and Brooks with nine.

Davis led Clarke Prep (23-4) with 12 points, followed by Grace Compton with nine.

Making the AAA all-tournament team were Corbett, Macie Fanning and Burts of Glenwood, Davis and Compton of Clarke Prep, Amity White of Pike Liberal Arts and Willesha Lang of Tuscaloosa Academy.