By: Tim Gayle
Special to Elmore Autauga News
If anyone connected with the Edgewood Academy girls’ basketball team tried to convince you that Monday was like any other day, they wouldn’t be truthful. It was, after all, head coach Jason Fisher’s birthday.
“We ate breakfast this morning and told him happy birthday, that it was going to be a special day,” point guard Lindsey Brown said. “We came together as a team and I was just so proud we were able to do it, especially on his birthday.”
What a birthday present. The Wildcats went out and used a strong third quarter to turn back Sparta Academy 60-46 in the Alabama Independent School Association’s Class AA state tournament at the Multiplex to win the school its first-ever state championship in girls’ basketball.
“This is probably going to be one of the most memorable birthdays I’ve had,” Fisher admitted.
In a remarkable showing, the Wildcats owned the boards, took care of the ball and limited the Warriors with a stingy defense, using a 12-6 run in the second quarter and a 21-13 stretch in the third quarter to turn the tables on one of the perennial powers of girls’ basketball in the private school organization.
“It feels great because no one has ever expected the girls’ basketball team to walk in here and come through 60-46,” Brown said. “They expect it to go into overtime or we lose by a lot, but we came in with a mindset to push through, all together, and work hard for each other, not for ourselves, and that’s what we did. We produced really well today.”
The Wildcats (24-6) suffered their first loss of the season at Sparta in a close 45-43 loss, but that meeting convinced Fisher that no changes were necessary in the second meeting, just a better execution of the game plan.
“I told them at practice we’re not changing anything,” Fisher said. “We went to their place and they beat us at their place by two and we shot 38 free throws and made 12. I told them free throws and rebounds are going to win us this game and we hit free throws, we got rebounds and played defense and it was a big difference.”
Another big difference was timely shooting. Leading just 17-11, the Wildcats got 3 pointers on consecutive trips downcourt by Molly Snow to extend the lead.
“I told Molly all year she was the ignition off our bench,” Fisher said. “She comes in at clutch times and does things that you can’t teach, you can’t coach. It’s like she’s got ice in her veins when she’s out there and she’s going to shoot it.”
Snow’s back-to-back shots, part of a nine-point performance by the senior, staked the Wildcats to a 23-12 lead.
“That was really good for senior Molly Snow to step up,” Brown said. “It’s her last game and I know she really wanted to step up. She stepped up really well to knock down those 3s.”
After that, the Wildcats could just play their game, relying on the rebounding of sophomore center Madison Martin to keep the Warriors from getting multiple looks at the goal.
“She started coming along after Christmas,” Fisher said. “We worked with her on some certain things to keep her out of foul trouble. She does a really good job at walling up and keeping people from making easy layups, making them adjust their shots. And then on the offensive side, there’s not very many that are going to be able to outrebound her.”
Martin had nine points as well and was content to be effective as a rebounder, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
“She’s like the tallest girl at Edgewood that we’ve ever had and she’s like a rebounding goddess,” Brown said. “She’s crazy good at rebounding. I’m so proud of her, especially getting inside and working really hard, going through all five people if she has to.”
Brown’s 10 points in the first quarter, along with Snow’s timely 3 pointers, gave the Wildcats early confidence, which only grew throughout the fourth quarter. Brown finished with 17 points, followed by Jaylyn Strength with 13.
Fisher, who spent his first season at Edgewood upgrading the Wildcats’ schedule in hopes of making a deep run in the playoffs, celebrated his second year with the crowning achievement on his birthday.
“To be the second year and to win a state title at this school, it’s first ever (in girls’ basketball), it’s something special,” he said.
Hannah Salter led Sparta, which finished at 23-4, with 20 points, followed by Jamie Ellissa Deason with nine.
Brown, Strength and Kennedy Mensch were named to the all-tournament team from Edgewood, along with Sparta’s Salter and Deason, Southern Academy’s Jordan James and South Choctaw Academy’s Emma Kate Williams.
