OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013
Sports
Hoover Girls Claim Fourth State Title Page 34
Lee Davis
Wild Weekend
Spartans and Lady Bucs Take Home Titles
Mountain Brook players, coaches and fans celebrate in the final seconds of the teamĘźs 6A state championship game win over Sparkman Saturday night at the BJCC. Enjoying the moment are, from left: Malek Grant, Griff Cooper, Jeremy Berman, Reagan Alexander, Alex Boozer, coaches: Christian Schweers, Bucky McMillan and Tyler Davis. More photos at otmj.com. Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.
SPARTAN NATION CELEBRATION Mountain Brook Crushes Sparkman to Win First Basketball Title
BY LEE DAVIS
JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER
A
ll sorts of sports are represented in the jampacked trophy cases at Mountain Brook High School. Many of them are related to track and field or the so-called country club sports of golf and tennis. Two football trophies from the 1970s also stand out among the hardware. But the old trophies are going to have to be
Will Deer and his Spartan teammates rattled Sparkman into shooting a mere 30 percent from the field. Journal photo by Marvin Gentry
rearranged, because a new one is on the way. And this one is coming from a sport that only the most fanatical Spartan fan would have predicted in December–boys’ basketball. That’s right, the Mountain Brook Spartans are the new kings of Class 6A basketball in Alabama. If you insist, call it a miracle, just like the 1969 New York Mets winning the World Series or the 1980 U.S. hockey team winning the Olympic gold medal.
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See SPARTANS, page 39
Maybe the biggest problem in the wake of Mountain Brook and Hoover’s sweep of the boys’ and girls’ Class 6A state championships respectively last Saturday is determining which of the two accomplishments was the most impressive. Let’s start with the Spartan boys. While Mountain Brook was a respected team and spent most of the season ranked in 6A’s top 10, who outside the school’s inner circle truly believed the Spartans would be the last team standing in March? Coach Bucky McMillan’s team dominated with defense and an uncanny knack for making the crucial shot at the right time. Without a doubt, the acquisition of brothers Malek and Tawarren Grant from Midfield put the final piece in Mountain Brook’s puzzle. But it seemed as if every night a different Spartan came up with the decisive play or a big game to make the difference. One night the man might be Patrick Keim. Or maybe Eric Raszeja. Or someone else. The most important thing was that whoever it was wore a Mountain Brook jersey. Everybody talks about the importance of team play and defense. McMillan and his Spartans lived it, every game. By winning their third straight championship, the Hoover girls estabSee TITLES, page 38