Bob Jones High School Lady Patriots Basketball

MADISON - Not long after the Bob Jones High girls had taken a one-point second-quarter lead in what to that point had been a back-and-forth affair with Hazel Green, five players dressed in home white trotted from the bench and squatted at the scorer's table. Lady Patriots coach Tim Miller wasn't subbing 5-for-5 for motivational purposes during Wednesday's championship game of The Huntsville Times Classic. He was doing it because he could do it. "Oh yeah, it's by design," he said. About four minutes later, when the halftime buzzer sounded, Class 6A's second-ranked team and two-time defending champion headed to the locker room with a 15-point advantage. Bob Jones went on to claim a 62-40 victory for its third straight Huntsville Times Classic title at its home gym. "We have so many people that we can put in," said 5-foot-8 sophomore forward

Katie Colson, who had nine points off the bench for the Lady Patriots. "We all get playing time, and any one of us can step up." Much has been made about Miller having to replace the five starters from the juggernaut that rolled through the past couple of Februarys. All of them signed Division I scholarships. While the individual talent might not be as strong, collectively the Lady Patriots are doing just fine. Eight different players scored in the first half against the Lady Trojans, which fit right in with Miller's plan. "This being our fourth game in three days, and playing a transition team like them, I told everybody they would get an opportunity to play," Miller said. "We like to push it, too. Sometimes, it just depends on the style of play we're facing." In this particular case, the style was physical from the tip. Bodies flopped. Hips were checked. Tempers were occasionally on the cusp of being flared. By early in the second half, Miller and his counterpart Chad Hall were effectively in time out. Each of them had been assessed technical fouls. For a first meeting - which this was - it sure had the look of a February postseason game after several previous engagements. "I feel like most teams get up to play Bob Jones," Miller said. "Everybody wants to beat us, and the girls on this team are beginning to see that on a daily basis." For the first 12 or so minutes, Hazel Green had its nose right in there, but it eventually had its impressive tournament run stopped for a variety of reasons. The Lady Trojans had a difficult time rebounding and defending, leading Hall to say afterward that the officials "took the game out of our hands." But the first-year coach was also quick to point out "their bench took the lead and stretched it out," which effectively put Hazel Green's hopes of an upset to rest. "They play hard, without a doubt," Hall said of the Lady Patriots. "We want our program to be where Bob Jones is." It has to be happy where it is right now, with 14 victories and just one loss. "We're just having a lot of fun," Colson said, "and we're all playing together." If nothing else, these Lady Patriots have answered any questions about how they were going to replace all of that departed talent. It's apparent they are capable of building a legacy of their own. It's still early, of course. And pulling it off won't be easy. But at least they have a lot of folks willing to lend a hand. Thursday, December 24, 2009, Huntsville Times, Contact Bill Bryant at bill.bryant@htimes.com