Autauga Academy exorcises demons, wins first AISA boys basketball title since 2008

Sunday night and again Monday morning, Josh Palmer talked to his brother.

After Autauga Academy lost the 2019 AISA Class AA boys basketball championship game, Octavious Palmer promised himself that he'd come back and help the Generals win it in 2020. Instead, they blew a three-point lead with 30 seconds to go and fell to Lakeside Academy.

Josh was a freshman on that team, Octavious a senior. Two years after that heartbreak, on the eve of Autauga's return to the title game, Octavious told Josh not to go out like he did.

"(He said to) finish on top, don't take no for an answer," Josh said. "I took that with me."

On Monday, when Chambers Academy's Jordan Whaley missed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, Josh snagged the rebound and got fouled. He sank both his free throws, putting the Generals ahead by eight points and essentially sealing the deal. As time ran out, he bounded across the court, covering his face with his jersey.

Autauga Academy won its first state title since 2008 with a 51-43 victory over Chambers, finishing off an 18-0 season and exorcising some demons in the process.

The Generals had lost in the championship game in 2017, 2019 and 2020. William Turner, their second-year head coach, was an assistant on those teams.

"Nice to finally freaking get one," he said Monday.

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Many times this season, Turner said, he felt like he was bringing a gun to a knife fight. With four double-digit scorers — Palmer and senior guards Robert Rose, AJ Perry, Pharrell Banks — Autauga's run roughshod, outscoring opponents by nearly 30 points on average.

"But you got to understand it’s a fight," Turner said. "You can lose a knife fight with a gun real quick."

The Rebels slowed the game down and scored 10 unanswered points to take the lead after the first quarter. But after a timeout, Perry knocked down two 3-pointers in a row, after which the Generals never trailed. Both Turner and Palmer said that was the turning point.

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When Rose, who scored a team-high 16 points, nailed a wide-open 3-pointer with three minutes left, lacing a bow-and-arrow celebration, it seemed to be the dagger. Autauga took a 46-32 lead moments later. But Chambers went on a 11-2 run, forcing the Generals to buckle down.

Turner never harped on Autauga's past title-game heartbreaks to his team. He understood that there was no need, as they knew it in the back of their minds. Instead, he told his team to do what it had done all season long.

"I emphasized before the game, we’re 17-0 for a reason," he said.

Now the Generals are 18-0 and state champions, and Palmer was able to fulfill his own promise.

"It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever," he said. "It’s a great feeling in life. I’ll tell my kids and grandkids."

AUTAUGA FOOTBALL: Generals win fourth state title in six years by beating Escambia Academy

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com, by phone at (334) 201-9117 and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama high school basketball: Autauga Academy wins state title