Irondale-The 7th ranked Mountain Brook Spartans (14-6, 2-0) made the short drive down Old Leeds Road and handed the Shades Valley Mounties (8-10, 1-2) a 71-44 region loss.
The Spartans got off to a quick start and held a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game. The Mounties battled back and tied the game at 11 as the two teams headed into the second period.
Behind the three-point shooting of junior Ty Davis and senior John Colvin, the Spartans pushed the lead to 31-19 at the half.
The Spartans came out of the break on fire. Aggressive offensive play and defensive pressure pushed the Mountain Brook lead to 41-21 with 3:45 remaining in the 3rd period.
Behind solid defense, 10 points from freshman Jeremiah Williams and a big three-pointer by JaMarcus Jackson, the Mounties cut the Spartan lead to 9 with 45 seconds remaining in the third period.
Mountain Brook then stepped up defensively and held the Mounties scoreless on their next seven possessions. Senior Julius Clark came up big for the Spartans in the fourth period, and the experienced and deep Spartans pulled away to a 71-44 victory.
The Spartans hit 55% from the field and connected on 47% behind the three-point arc.“We played our most complete 32 minutes of the season,” said Spartan head coach Tyler Davis. “Shades Valley is a good team, and when they made their run in the second half, we responded.”
The Mounties are a young team, and headman Audwin Howard is optimistic about the future. “Our guys are competing,” he said. “We have got to get better.”
Williams led the Mounties with 16 points, Sean Crawford added 10 points, and Jackson chipped in 9 points.
Mountain Brook had four players in double-figures: Davis 18, Clark 16, Colvin 13, and Lawson Gardner 10.
Shades Valley plays Minor Monday in the MLK Classic at Fairfield. The Mounties return to region play when they host Pell City Friday.
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