BIRMINGHAM - Tim Miller stood five feet from his huddled team in heavy thought at the close of the third quarter Saturday night, kicking out his right foot and gazing briefly into the stands at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. What was the Bob Jones High girls coach thinking?  What might have been, that's what. His Lady Patriots, ranked second in Class 6A, were still within 10 points of top-ranked and heavily favored Hoover in the state championship game. But it could have been five. Or even three. "We sure had some good chances," Miller said. The powerful Lady Bucs don't allow second ones, though. They don't allow many points, either. Bob Jones didn't even break 20 in a 39-19 loss, which officially ended its two-year championship run. The point total was the lowest in a girls title game, with the previous low of 24 being established in 1984 (Red Level against Courtland in the 1A final) and tied in 2006 (by Arab against Ramsay in the 5A final). "We just didn't score," Lady Patriots point guard Tiarra Pritchett said. "We had shots, but they just wouldn't fall."  Indeed, Bob Jones (33-3)hit just 18.4 percent. But it limited Hoover (32-1) to 22.2 percent from the floor. The Lady Bucs' Meghan Dunn wound up the lone player on either side in double-figure scoring, finishing with 18 points. "It was a gritty, grind-it-out game, the kind we've been winning all year," Miller said. "I think it just finally caught up with us as far as going against some good skill players. We just couldn't put it in the hole tonight." In the first quarter, the Lady Patriots couldn't even get the ball to the basket. After scoring the game's first points, they turned the ball over on six straight possessions. Hoover, meanwhile, went on a 13-0 run to close the period. Bob Jones wound up going a total of 11:53 - from 7:25 in the first quarter to 3:32 in the second - without scoring. "It was ugly," Miller said. The Lady Patriots kept it that way with their defense. And that kept them in the game. They got a basket here and a basket there, and by halftime they trailed 16-9. "If you had told me we'd be down seven at halftime, I'd have come over and kissed you," Miller said. "Especially after that first quarter." The deficit stayed right around there for most of the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Shannon Steinert gave Hoover a 24-14 lead going into the final eight minutes. Given its offensive output to that point, the order was too tall. "From the jump we knew Hoover had blown teams out," said senior Mekena Randle, who led Bob Jones with eight points and 13 rebounds. "We had played them before (losing 41-35), so it was just a matter of going out there and playing. There were layups and free throws I know I could have hit, but it just didn't work out. "Knowing you could have done something and you didn't, it's hard." Miller, however, found no fault with his players' effort. The Lady Patriots reached their third straight final - with five new starters, no less. "Well, I'm proud of our girls, I can tell you that," Miller said. "I didn't quite think we'd be here, but we were. They played hard again tonight. "I think we overachieved this year, obviously."
Sunday, February 28, 2010 By Bill Bryant, Times Sports Editor, bill.bryant@htimes.com

Junior's late 3-pointer propels Bob Jones past Sparkman 26-25 in final

HANCEVILLE - Rikeyah McKinnon lost neither her faith nor her 3-point shooting touch. McKinnon made up for several missed shots with the two biggest of her career Friday, sinking two treys in the fourth quarter to account for all of Bob Jones' points in the period as the Lady Patriots punched a return ticket to Birmingham and the Class 6A girls final four.  McKinnon's second 3-pointer in the period provided the difference for the two-time defending state champions with 18 seconds to play in a 26-25 victory archrival Sparkman in the Northwest Regional final at Wallace State-Hanceville. She came around a screen to take a pass and didn't hesitate to fire away from the top of the key despite making just one of her previous four 3-point attempts, making the decisive shot in the third one-point game between the two teams this season. "I was wide open,'' she said. "I knew we needed a 3. I hadn't hit throughout the game, but something inside me said 'shoot.' I had faith. Something told me it was going in.'' Bob Jones (32-2) will play Davidson, the South Regional winner, in the state semifinals Friday at 9 a.m. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. After the Lady Patriots went ahead, Sparkman's Jasmine Jones had a driving shot roll off the rim. Bob Jones rebounded and was fouled with 9.1 seconds left. The Lady Senators had only two fouls, so with not enough time to put Bob Jones at the free-throw line a steal was necessary. They got it when Ashunte Smith picked off an inbound pass, and her shot in the lane that followed bounced away. Bob Jones rebounded again and ran out the clock.
Saturday, February 20, 2010, By Mike Easterling,Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

Northwest Regional @ Wallace State Community College in Hanceville

Tuesday (2-16) – 9:00 a.m.
Sparkman 64 - Bessemer City 57
Read about the Sparkman win over Hazel Green
Read about the Bessemer City win over Tuscaloosa County

Tuesday (2-16) – 1 p.m.
Bob Jones 51 - Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 23
Game Photos
Read about the Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa win over Minor

Wednesday, February 17, 2010, By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

Game 13 – Minor 46 at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 50
Game 14 – Tuscaloosa County 55 at Bessemer City 70
Game 15 – Hazel Green 46 at Sparkman 62
Game 16 – Bob Jones 52 at Buckhorn 43

MADISON - Joyce Kenon had never experienced the state's premier girls basketball rivalry until she enrolled at Sparkman last summer and became a part of the Lady Senators' program. Fourth-ranked Sparkman and second-ranked Bob Jones played yet another classic Saturday night in the Class 6A, Area 15 championship game. And no one had a bigger role in determining the outcome than Kenon, a 5-foot-10 reserve. Kenon tossed in a layup off an in-bounds play as time expired to lift the Lady Senators to a stunning 40-39 victory on the Lady Patriots' home floor. Sparkman (23-6) overcame a six-point deficit in the final 39 seconds to snap Bob Jones' 23-game winning streak. Kenon had kept Sparkman's hopes alive with a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds remaining. After Bob Jones turned the ball over attempting to throw it in, the Lady Senators got possession underneath their own basket. Bob Jones (29-2) - which had fouls to spare - immediately committed one on 6-foot-1 center Jasmine Jones with 1.8 seconds left. Unable to lob the ball into Jones again, it instead came to Kenon, who streaked across the lane from outside the free-throw line and went up with the layup as the horn sounded. While Sparkman celebrated, Bob Jones coach Tim Miller sought an explanation from the three-man officiating crew as to whether Kenon had released the shot with time on the clock. One official near mid-court appeared to wave it off before all three left the court. Moments later the lead referee emerged to rule that the shot indeed counted and the Lady Senators' celebration resumed. "It was not supposed to come to me," Kenon said, "but I saw the opening so I figured 'Why don't I just hit the open area.' " "We knew they'd put two or three on J.J. (Jones)," said Sparkman coach June Seals. "This kid (Kenon) has hit unbelievable layups. She has an unorthodox shot so I put her on the other side knowing that they've got to cover (Sharin) Rivers. "When she got it she flipped it up. But she shoots 'em that way all the time." How long had it been since Bob Jones lost? To put it in perspective, Tim Tebow was quarterback of the nation's No. 1-ranked college football team and U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith was still a Democrat when the Lady Patriots fell to No. 1 Hoover back in November. A 12-0 fourth-quarter run pushed the Lady Patriots' lead to 36-28 with 1:12 remaining, but they failed to put the game away from the free-throw line, missing five down the stretch. Rivers' 3-pointer made it 38-35 with 27.5 seconds to go. A free throw by Shelly Lambert gave Bob Jones a 39-35 lead with 23 seconds left, but Kenon scored her only five points of the game in the final seconds to hand Sparkman its first win in three tries against the Lady Patriots. Bob Jones travels to Area 16 champion Buckhorn for next week's sub-regional play. Sparkman hosts Area 15 runner-up Hazel Green. Jones led Sparkman with 11 points and Alexis Butler added 10. Sunday, February 07, 2010, By Jerry Felts, For The Times

Class 6A second-ranked Bob Jones used a 10-0 run to start the second quarter to build a 25-8 lead on the way to an easy victory in Martin Luther King Day girls basketball at Samford.

The two-time defending class champion Patriots (24-1) kept the Mounties (17-6) at bay with tight man-to-man defense and were able to get plenty of easy baskets inside.

"Anytime someone is that aggressive with us we have trouble handling it," said Shades Valley coach Tonya Hunter. "They play really good defense. It's the best defense we've faced this year."

The Patriots started quickly with an 8-0 run keyed by a pair of baskets from senior 5-foot-5 point guard Tiarra Pritchett, who finished with eight points in the balanced attack. Tierra Jones led Bob Jones with 12 points off the bench while Shelby Lambert nailed three 3-pointers for nine points and Rikeyah McKinnon added nine points.

Morganne Phillips and Ashlee McAdory each scored 13 points to lead the Mounties. Birmingham News - Dennis Victory, January 18, 2010 8:31 p.m.

HARVEST - It was vintage Bob Jones vs. Sparkman girls. At least in effort and drama. The Lady Patriots, ranked second in Class 6A, were held to 10 baskets but held the fourth-ranked Lady Senators to 12 and clinched the Area 15 championship with a 30-26 victory Saturday. "It's not a sprint but a marathon every time you play Sparkman,'' Bob Jones coach Tim Miller said. "I think we defended well, and they do some things to us that caused the score to be low.'' Tiarra Pritchett was high-scorer for Bob Jones (23-1 overall, 5-1 area) with nine points. "We missed a lot of easy shots, open baskets,'' she said. There was an echo in the locker room at the other end of the gym. "We missed wide-open shots,'' Sparkman coach June Seals said. "My kids do not handle the pressure well right now. They play their guts out, but they've got to get a basketball mentality. They have to learn to finish shots.'' Sparkman (17-6, 2-3) was led by Jasmine Jones' 11 points and seven rebounds. Bob Jones sank 8-of-15 free throws while the Lady Senators sank just 1-of-6. Sunday, January 17, 2010, By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

Final 2009 HSV Times Classic Brackets

The Bob Jones Lady Patriots held off the Hazel Green Lady Trojans 62-40 in a very physical game to capture their 3rd straight Huntsville Times Classic championship. The Lady Trojans remained close early with a series of long three point shots but slowed after senior Chelsie Bryant went down with an injury. Bob Jones was able to widen the gap in the second quarter reaching a 36-21 lead at half.

In the semi-final game against Madison Academy, it took overtime before the Lady Patriots were able to close the deal 39-37. Bob Jones finally seemed to get over their poor free throw shooting coming into the tourney with a very high percentage over the four games. Mekena Randle, Tiarra Pritchett and Shelby Lambert from the Lady Patriot squad all made the All-Tournament team.

Bob Jones girls hold off Madison Academy 39-37 in semifinal

MADISON - With the game on the line and its goal of a third straight tournament championship in doubt, the Bob Jones High girls basketball team turned to something that's been problematic throughout the season.

"I didn't want to get into a free-throw shooting contest with them, that's for sure,'' Lady Patriots coach Tim Miller said. "But we did shoot them better than we have all year.'' A semifinal game at the ninth annual The Huntsville Times Ladies Classic didn't turn into a free-throw-fest, but the Lady Patriots sank 6-of-7 for all of their points in overtime as they survived upset-minded Madison Academy with a thrilling 39-37 victory Tuesday. Senior Mekena Randle, who said Bob Jones has stressed getting better at the charity stripe, sank 4-of-4 in overtime. Her last two with 12 seconds remaining proved to be the difference after Madison Academy threw the ball out of bounds as time expired. Randle said the tense game was what tournament play is all about. "It won't be a surprise when it happens later on,'' she said after leading all scorers with 18 points. "It will mentally prepare us.'' Bob Jones (13-1), which is ranked second in Class 6A and has also won two straight state championships, plays tournament surprise Hazel Green (9-7) today at 3 p.m. for the title. The Lady Trojans advanced with a 62-55 semifinal win over Jeff Davis. "They're quick and athletic and have three or four players that can shoot,'' Miller said. "We'll have our hands full.'' Madison Academy (14-2), the top-ranked team in 3A whose both losses have been to Bob Jones, will play Jeff Davis (12-4) today at 1:30 p.m. for third place. "We can only get better from here,'' Madison Academy junior Nyla Johnson said after leading the Lady Mustangs with 17 points. Madison Academy jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Bob Jones went ahead 9-7 when Randle scored as the clock ran out on the first quarter. The Lady Patriots held a 20-13 halftime lead and took a 26-23 advantage into the fourth quarter. The lead never got bigger than five points, and the Lady Mustangs tied it when Johnson hit a 3-pointer and teammate Amara Mayer followed with a basket to make it 33-all with 1:53 left in regulation. Madison Academy regained possession with 30 seconds left, and played for the last shot. It nearly paid off when Johnson, the team's leading scorer, had a short jump shot from near the side of the lane bounce off the rim as the clock wound down. "I thought it was in,'' Lady Mustangs coach Brian Privett said. Instead, the two teams played an extra period of intense hoops in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Bob Jones. "That was two good teams with good players,'' Miller said. "It was a good high school game to watch. I thought both teams battled.'' Privett agreed with Johnson's assessment that the team will get better despite the loss. "I was proud of the girls for playing through the adversity of facing a tough defensive team,'' he said. "We're both very good defensively. The thing is you can't simulate playing someone like them in practice.'' Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

No. 2 Bob Jones girls hold off fourth-ranked Sparkman at home
MADISON - Round 1 went to the Bob Jones High girls basketball team Friday night. The second-ranked Lady Patriots, after losing five starters from last year's 6A state championship team, beat No. 4 Sparkman 28-27. Bob Jones moved to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in Area 15. After Bob Jones claimed a 7-4 first-quarter advantage, Sparkman (5-2, 0-1) took its first lead at the 6:28 mark of the second quarter. Sparkman outscored Bob Jones 13-4 in the second quarter to take the 17-11 halftime lead. "This week has been really frustrating for us after Monday's loss to Hoover," said Bob Jones' Mekena Randle. "So we had to show ourselves that we could get back up and play as a team. We are all leaders, and we all step up when we need to, and we never quit and we were not going to let them (Sparkman) come into our home and beat us." Bob Jones regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter with 5:23 to go in the game on a two free throws by DeAsha Campbell. Sparkman's Sharin Rivers gave the Lady Senators the lead again when she hit a 3-pointer basket. Randle later hit two layups to pull the Lady Patriots within 27-26. Rivers went to the foul line for a one-and-one and missed the shot, giving Bob Jones the opportunity to rebound. With eight seconds remaining, Randle hit a layup to put the Lady Patriots ahead 28-27 and seal the win. "It's always good to get a win, especially an area game, but we've still got a long way to go," Bob Jones coach Tim Miller said. Randle had 13 points for Bob Jones, while Campbell finished the night with eight. For Sparkman, Rivers has 14 points and Jasmine Jones had 10. From staff reports Huntsville Times