By Scott Nickerson

Elmore/Autauga News

Led by Senior Avery Rogers and Junior Jenna McClendon, the Prattville Christian Academy Girls’ basketball team won the Autauga County Girls’ Basketball Tournament held at Autaugaville High School on December 7-8. The county championship is the 5th consecutive for the 3-time defending state champion Panthers.

In the opening game of the tournament, the Panthers faced the Prattville Lions, a team which advanced to the Class 7A Final Four last year and was 7-1 on the season heading into the game. The heavyweight battle was controlled in the 1st half by PCA. The Lions made a push in the 2nd half, but were never able to get within striking distance, as the Panthers held on for a 51-39 victory. Rogers, a Faulkner basketball commit, had 22 points with 10 rebounds and 4 assists. McClendon added 18 points and 8 rebounds despite playing with foul trouble most of the 2nd half.

In the county tournament championship game, Rogers again had a big game, with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, as the Panthers defeated Marbury 70-48. McClendon, a junior with Division 1 offers from North Alabama, Navy, and Florida International, added 23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals. Kayden Car also had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Rogers was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and McClendon and Carr were both named to the All-Tournament Team.

PCA Head Coach Jason Roberson has led the Panthers during their impressive run in the county and state tournaments. “We have been blessed to be able to compete in the Autauga County Tournament with bigger schools like Prattville and Marbury. We have been fortunate to win the last 5 Autauga County Tournament Championships due to a lot of hard work and some great players that have played in the tournament during this stretch. Our ladies are used to competing against bigger schools and tough competition so we can use this tournament to help prepare us for our ultimate goal,” Roberson said.

The Panthers improved to 9-1 on the season and will host Pelham on Thursday.

Prattville Boys Finish as Runner-Up in County Tournament

The Prattville Lions’ Boys team faced PCA in the opening round of the boy’s tournament that ended in a thrilling finish. PCA led for most of the first half behind sharpshooting from guards Collier Connell, who finished the game with 6 made 3 pointers, and Cade Segars who added 4 shots from long range.

Prattville sophomore Evan Chandler kept the Lions close in the first half, but the Panthers went into the breakup 30-27. They maintained a small lead for the entire 3rd quarter until the game went back and forth in the final minutes. The Lions took a 1-point lead on a layup by Ty Bryant with four minutes remaining, but PCA answered with a 3 pointer by Segars to reclaim the lead.

The Lions tied the game in the final minute and came away with a steal with just 13 seconds remaining to earn the final possession of the game. Prattville called a timeout to set up a play and got the ball into the hands of freshman Isaiah Bradley, who was fouled driving to the lane as time expired. Stepping to the line with 0.3 seconds on the clock, and the game tied at 52, the 9th grader calmly sank both free throws, sealing the win for the Lions.

Lions Boys Basketball Coach Jason Fisher described the mindset heading into the final minute of the game. “Once we put pressure on them and PCA turned the ball over with 13 seconds left, I wanted to get the ball in the hands of the player we felt had the best matchup with the defender guarding him. The play was run perfectly allowing Isaiah to get to the goal.”

When the freshman stepped to the line of a tie game, Coach Fisher knew the game was over. “Isaiah is a freshman, and the kid is a pure basketball player with a very high IQ. So when he got to the goal and was fouled, I knew he would hit those free throws.”

Chandler was the high scorer for the Lions, putting in 17 points. For the Panthers, Segars and Connell both had 18 points and PJ Evans had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The Lions dropped the tournament championship game, 71-68 in overtime, against the host Autaugaville Eagles.

Chandler and Ty Bryant from Prattville were both named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Evans from PCA.