Jasper’s Mia Hollingsworth shot out like a cannon for the first points of the game, but her conversion of a clutch 3-point play late in the final period lifted the top-ranked Vikings to a 48-44 victory over No. 8 Scottsboro in Saturday’s Class 5A state championship game at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
Jasper (31-4) becomes the first girls’ team from Walker County to win a basketball title, following Cordova’s boys team becoming the first to win it all in 2018.
“I would take these 11 over any 11, win, lose or draw,” Jasper coach Blake Laney said. “My 11 kids are better than everyone else’s.”
The Vikings jumped out to an early 7-0 lead as Hollingsworth raced to the bucket off the tip for a layup and followed it up with a 3-pointer on the next possession before Hallie Harrell capped the opening run almost midway through the first period.
Scottsboro’s Isabelle Nelson and Bree Sexton responded on a 4-0 spurt, but Missy Odom scored 6 straight points between two Sexton jump shots and Harrell closed out the quarter to give Jasper a 16-10 lead entering the second period.
Carolina Dawson splashed a 3-pointer to start the second quarter and the Wildcats pulled to within 3 points before Harrell scored on three consecutive layups to push the advantage to 22-18 with 4:20 left in the period. Sexton countered with her own 3-pointer and scored the final 10 points of the half for the Wildcats.
Odom knocked in her only 3-pointer of the game to power the Vikings to a 28-25 lead at the halftime break.
Both teams matched scoring in the opening minutes of the second half until Dawson and Sexton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Scottsboro its first lead of the game at 35-32 with 2:43 remaining in the third period. Hollingsworth converted two pairs of free throws and Harrell added another jumper close out the quarter with a 6-2 run to claim a single-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Scottsboro (27-7) took its last lead, 41-40, on a layup from Dawson with 4:18 left in the game and Hollingsworth scored the go-ahead bucket on the ensuing possession and converted the and-1 opportunity at the line.
“That sealed the deal, at least in my head,” Hollingsworth said. “Once we got the momentum back in our hands and our crowd, there was really nothing they could do.”
Dawson hit another 3-pointer to pull within 2 points in the final minute, but Odom went 4-of-4 at the line to clinch the first girls basketball title in program history.
Star of the game: Hollingsworth. The senior guard finished tied for a team-high 16 points and had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. She scored the go-ahead basket on a layup, drawing a foul on the play, and converted the and-1 opportunity to push the lead to 43-41 with 4:01 remaining in the game.
Stat sheet: Jasper – Odom tied for a team-high 16 points, adding 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, and Harrell had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Idaysia Mercer produced only 2 points, but dished out 4 assists with only 1 turnover. Marianna Rigsby contributed 4 points and 7 rebounds. Scottsboro – Sexton led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points, with 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Caroline Dawson had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Isabelle Nelson finished 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
By the numbers: The Vikings shot 39 percent overall while holding Scottsboro to 33.3 percent from the field. Jasper enjoyed a plus-7 advantage on the glass and was 14-of-18 at the foul line.
All-Tournament Team: Hollingsworth was named tournament MVP and teammates Odom and Mercer were named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Scottsboro’s Sexton, Dawson and Nelson.
Coachspeak: “A heck of a game I’m sure for the fans. For me and them, I don’t know how fun it was. But we persevered and kept battling. We didn’t play our best today, that’s a testament to Scottsboro and what they did to us, but we found a way to win. We’re a senior-laden bunch and we always have trust in them.” – Jasper’s Blake Laney
“It’s tough to lose any time, but I’m really proud of our kids. We’re undersized, but we fought and battled the entire game. We had a shot to take the lead late and did everything we could do. I’m proud of this team sticking together and the way we competed today.” – Scottsboro’s Brandon Childers
They said it: “There are always at least three or four seniors on the floor and this is it. It was the last quarter, win or go home, and we had to pick it up a little bit.” – Hollingsworth
“I wasn’t on today. Being a facilitator, I had to get the ball to people who were making plays. If I could that, then we could win this game and that’s exactly what happened down the stretch. Not making turnovers, I knew if we kept the ball and didn’t give it back to them, they couldn’t score.” – Mercer
“This was my last game. I really didn’t have the chance this season to show my potential and so I decided today I was going to play the best I can.” – Jasper’s Hallie Harrell
“It means everything. We worked so hard these past two years. We had a great run and came up short last year. Getting back here this year, playing for one another and bringing home a championship to Jasper means everything.” – Odom