AHSAA basketball: Mountain Brook boys make 6A state final with defensive stand vs. Paul Bryant
BIRMINGHAM ― Mountain Brook boys basketball made several defensive stands to beat Paul Bryant 54-52 Wednesday afternoon at Legacy Arena in the AHSAA 6A state semifinals.
Bryant (21-13) cut a 12-point deficit to two, and the possession arrow gave Bryant the ball back with five seconds left after an intentionally missed free throw. Mountain Brook's John Colvin blocked Adrian Wooley's game-winning 3-point attempt, however, and time expired.
Mountain Brook (26-7) faces Buckhorn in the state championship at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
Up three points with less than 30 seconds to play, Mountain Brook turned over the ball on an inbound pass but then forced two missed 3-pointers. Mountain Brook again turned over the ball its next inbounds play, but it intentionally fouled Wooley to take away a game-tying 3-point attempt.
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Wooley missed the second free throw, which led to the jump ball before Colvin's block. Colvin scored 16 points, and Julius Clark added 14 points and nine rebounds for Mountain Brook.
Bryant's Jaycob Johnson scored 15 points, while Wooley scored 14 with six assists and seven rebounds. Marquis Nash scored 10 points and made timely baskets for Bryant.
In a low-scoring game, Mountain Brook created breathing room in the third quarter, where it outscored Bryant 16-13. But Paul Bryant's Marchello Perkins scored all 11 of his points in the second half, including three 3-pointers.
Mountain Brook led 17-10 after the first quarter. The teams combined for 11 points in the second quarter, making just four field goals.
Jerell Rushin is a recruiting reporter for the Tuscaloosa News and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jrushin@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @JerellRushin_.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA basketball: Mountain Brook beats Paul Bryant in 6A boys semifinal
