Decatur Heritage girls write their own success story

Feb. 24—It seems like for every up and coming team, there's a defining moment.

For the Decatur Heritage girls, it came on Feb. 1 at Hatton. After getting whipped by the Hornets, 84-23, head coach Johnny Jones had a heart-to-heart meeting with his team in the locker room that night.

"I told them it was time for them to write their story," Jones said. "They needed to figure out how they wanted this season to be remembered."

Evidently, the team wants it to be one remembered for success. The Eagles (15-12) are one win away from a trip to the state tournament in Birmingham.

They can punch their ticket to the final four with a win over No. 1 Skyline this afternoon in the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State.

In recent years, Decatur Heritage basketball has been dominated by the success of the boys program. They play Jacksonville Christian after the girls game today for the regional championship and a trip to the state tournament.

This is the sixth straight year the Decatur Heritage boys have played for a regional championship. They won the Class 1A state championship in 2019.

It's not like the girls have not been successful. They went to the state tournament in 2015 and 2016. Katie Jones was a Class 1A first-team All-State selection in 2019 and 2020.

This year has been different. Katie Jones graduated and now plays at Samford. Head coach Paula Armstrong left for Westminster Christian.

Johnny Jones was hired in June, but didn't officially come on board until August. COVID restrictions whipped out any team workouts in the summer when coaches can usually get to know their players and their roles for the season ahead.

"We had a lot of work to do, but I decided we need to do some things the same way they did for Coach Armstrong," Jones said. "I like playing man defense, but they played a 2-3 zone last year. So we stuck with the zone because that's what the girls were comfortable with."

Offense was a different story. Katie Jones averaged 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists her senior season. That's a lot of production to replace.

On a roster with no seniors, Johnny Jones turned to the team's three juniors in Ellie Metzgar, Brantleigh Williams and Elizabeth Wilson for leadership. They have delivered in a big way

Metzgar is a 5-foot-7 guard, who often ends up in double figures in rebounds. She had 24 points and 14 rebounds last Saturday in a 71-42 win over No. 5 Coosa Christian.

Williams (5-9) can score points and end up with double figures in rebounds any night. Wilson (6-2) is the force in the paint. She's difficult to stop one-on-one. When teams throw more than one defender at her, Wilson can find the open shooter.

Sophomore Alex Jackson directs the offense from point guard. Her speed down the court forces teammates to keep up with her. She's not afraid to take the ball to the basket or make a pass to an outsider shooter.

The outside shooters are Kennedy Kyle, Bri Tyson, Sheryl Garner and Farrah Wright.

"It's all really come together just at the right time," Jones said.

Even when one of the juniors has to sit on the bench in foul trouble, like Wilson did Saturday, the offense still clicks.

Skyline will be a challenge. The Vikings have seven losses, but all of them came against larger schools, including Class 7A Albertville, 57-49, in December.

"They love to shoot the ball and they don't miss many," Jones said. "The key for us is to control the boards and rebound their missed shots. We have to limit their extra scoring opportunities."

Regardless of the outcome vs. Skyline, the Decatur Heritage girls have a lot to look forward to next year with everyone returning. There are also some talented eighth-grade girls coming up from an undefeated team.

"Most of these girls play together on the volleyball and softball teams," Jones said. "They know how to compete and how to compete as a team. That can take a team a long way."

— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.