PREP UPDATE: Highland Home girls falter in state semis; Brantley boys move into 1A finals; ACA, MA get FCA wins

Highland Home’s Janiya Foster goes up for a shot as Pisgah’s Paisley Patalas defends in the Class 2A semifinals at the BJCC Legacy Arena Monday night. (AHSAA/David Holtsford)

COMBINED REPORTS

BIRMINGHAM - Pisgah forced 28 turnovers Monday to win the Class 2A girls’ semifinal game ,64-31, at the AHSAA’s 105th State Basketball championships at the BJCC Legacy Arena.
Pisgah scored almost half their points (30) off of Flying Squadron turnovers.  Paisley Patalas had 17 points and three steals, Madeline Flammia had five steals, seven assists and nine points, and Campbell Barron totaled 15 points, eight boards and three steals. Ella Samples also had nine points.
Highland Home (23-9) got a strong performance from Janya Foster with 16 points. Anicah Rodgers added nine points and nine rebounds, and Annsley Garrard cleared six rebounds.
Pisgah (21-8) will face Decatur Heritage (28-7) in the finals Friday at 9 a.m.

Brantley 78, Hubbertville 67

BIRMINGHAM - Brantley broke open a tight game with an 11-0 run in the final minute of the first half on the way to a 78-67 victory over Hubbertville on Monday in the Class 1A boys’ semifinals at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.
The 11-0 barrage included two 3-pointers by Jon Harper Kilcrease and another by Jayden Parks, breaking open a tight game.
The victory sends Brantley into the finals where it will face R.C. Hatch on Friday at 5:45 p.m. The Bulldogs (23-4) are chasing their first state basketball title since 1995.
Jayden Parks led Brantley with 34 points, including 16-of-20 at the free-throw line, and added seven assists and three steals. Julius Sylvester finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Kilcrease had 13 points and Michael Thompson added 10 points.  
Trace Cowan III and Blaize Wakefield scored 15 points apiece for Hubbertville, which played in the state tournament for the first time in school history. Kane Rushing added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Cole Brand scored 14 points.ooper

BASEBALL

Alabama Christian 5, Trinity 2

Jackson Burton went 3 for 3 with a double and drove in two runs to help the Eagles to a 5-2 win over Trinity in the 32nd annual Jason Armstrong Memorial FCA Baseball Tournament at Riverwalk Stadium on Monday.

Alex Heilman went 2 for 3 and drove in a run and Ethan Dabney went 2 for 4 for ACA.

ACA starter Jackson McGuire picked up the win, allowing just three hits and one earned run in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Mason Roosendal pitched the remaining 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

Alabama Christian will return to action in the tournament on Thursday against Brewbaker Tech at Paterson Field at 2 p.m., while Trinity will face Prattville Christian on Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium at 2 p.m.

Montgomery Academy 10, Brewbaker Tech 0 (6)

Montgomery Academy's bats stayed hot, outhitting the Rams 11-4 in the opening game of the 32nd annual Jackson Armstrong Memorial FCA Baseball Tournament at Riverwalk Stadium on Monday.

The Eagles were led at the plate by William Marks, who was 4 for 4 with three RBIs. John Allen Jones went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Chapman Baker, Nathan Applegate and Finley Haigler all went 1 for 2 with an RBI. Andrew Hosein and Paxton Haigler also picked up a hit as well.

Montgomery Academy starter Vincent Desautels pitched five scoreless innings, striking out six. Baker pitched a scoreless sixth, allowing one hit.

Montgomery Academy (3-1) continue play in the tournament against Trinity on Thursday at Riverwalk Stadium at 4 p.m.

Crenshaw Christian 14, Hooper Academy 12

HOPE HULL -- Dylan Atwell two-run home run keyed an eight-run first inning for Crenshaw Christian and they were able to hold off the Colts down the stretch.

Max Parker and Ryan Wynn each had three RBIs for the Colts, including a two-run double by Wynn that rallied the Colts to a 10-8 lead in the fifth. Jeremy Griggs led the Hooper offense with three hits, while Sam Moss went 2 for 3 for the Colts.

Colt Lowe’s two-run single and Macon Cox’s two-run double put the Cougars back on top in the sixth.

Hooper will travel to Edgewood Academy for a game on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL

Catholic 4, Alabama Christian 1

Catholic jumped on ACA starter Izzy Warrick quickly to defeat the Eagles 4-1 on Monday at Catholic.

Rylee Wilcoxson singled in a run and Peyton Dees followed with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

ACA answered with a run and the game remained a one-run battle until the Knights added a run in the fifth and another in the sixth.

Dees went 3 for 3 and drove in a run to lead the Knights. Hayden Fitts went 2 for 4 and scored a run and Wilcoxson went 2 for 4, scoring a pair of runs and driving in another.

Anna Gleason and Maddie Traywick each had two hits, combining for four of ACA’s five hits.

Jennifer Looney picked up the win for the Knights, allowing five hits and one run over seven innings while striking out three and walking none.

Warrick went the distance for the Eagles, allowing four runs, two earned, in six innings of work. The senior struck out two and walked two.

Catholic will play Trinity on Tuesday.

TRACK AND FIELD

Montgomery Academy holds first ‘Monday MAdness’ meet

Montgomery Academy kicked off the outdoor portion of the track and field season by hosting the first “Monday MAdness” meet. With 18 local teams competing and 500 or so athletes, it was a great showcase of the track community in the River Region.

Elle Ingram paced the Montgomery Academy girls, placing first in both the 800-meter and 1600-meter run. Livia Dwyer was second in the 1600 and third in the 800, while Isabella Arnett was first in the 400-meter run and fifth in the 200-meter dash.

Elle McBride was second in the 200-meter dash and sixth in the 100-meter dash and Maggie Whitt was seventh in the discus.

The Montgomery Academy boys finished one-two in the pole vault, with Knox Wingate winning the event and Mac Benefield placing second. Juan Kirkland was fourth in the discus and Trey White and Jack Obenhaus both earned points in the 1600-meter run, with White finishing seventh and Obenhaus placing eighth.  

Montgomery Academy will host its second “Monday MAdness” meet on March 3.