Tough opener, Lady Patriots advance
Hanceville- The top-ranked Bob Jones Lady Patriots needed clutch performances from a pair of seniors to overcome a feisty Northridge team that led at halftime and held a 2 point lead deep into the third quarter. But Jasmine Jones and Joidan Jennings took over the game as the Lady Patriots went on a 23-11 run from the 3:00 minute mark in the third quarter and pulled away to post a 53-44 win.
The victory puts the Lady Patriots in the AHSAA Northwest Regional 6A final against Bessemer City on Friday at 9 A.M.
“It feels good to be moving on but we got to play better basketball come Friday,” said Bob Jones coach Tim Miller.
Bob Jones started quickly when Tierra Jones grabbed a loose ball and scored the first points then drew a charging foul on the defensive end. Sloppy ball handling caused Coach Tim Miller to go to his bench quickly and DeAisha Campbell responded with a long 3-point basket to put Bob Jones up 7-3. Jasmine Jones showed why she is one of the top prep players in the state when she hit a running layup with the left hand and followed it up with an offensive rebound and score for a 12-8 Bob Jones lead after one quarter.
But trouble was looming in the form of foul trouble for Tierra Jones. She scored 6 points in the first half but had to sit with 3 fouls. She fouled out in the fourth quarter after being held scoreless in the second half.
To make matters worse, two other starters were struggling to find their rhythm. Lindsey Jennings went crashing to the floor from a hard backcourt screen. She finished the first half scoreless. China Leary misfired on all four of her three-point attempts and would finish the game with 3 points, well below her average.
Sensing an opening, Northridge surged ahead 19-18 and would keep the one point lead at the half 23-22. Jasmine Jones pulled a game’s worth of rebounds in the first half and turned back-to-back offensive rebounds into points to keep Bob Jones from falling further behind. She had 7 points and 9 rebounds at halftime.
Powered by Sarah Stuart who scored 19 points, Northridge built a 32-30 lead at the 3:00 mark in the third quarter when Miller called a timeout.
“I said do you want your season to end right here or are you going to lay it all out here on the court,” Miller said after the game. “I asked them are we going to make some plays because if we don’t the season is going to end right here.”
The pep talk worked for Joidan Jennings who started the run with a driving jump shot and foul for a 3-point play. A Jasmine Jones jumper and Jennings again with the left hand had Bob Jones on a 7-0 run to finish the quarter. Jennings hit all 5 free throws she attempted in the pivotal third quarter and finished 9 for 9 from the free throw line in the second half.
“She wasn’t the best free throw shooter during the season but she shot them well today,” said Miller whose team led 39-35 after the third quarter. “She makes plays for us. When she can get to the rim and finish like she did it makes life a little easier,” said Miller of his senior point guard.
Northridge couldn’t contain Jennings, a UNA signee, who continued to cut through the defense and make plays in the fourth quarter. She would finish with 22 points for her best scoring game of the season.
“We have not been in that situation before where our post players were in foul trouble early so we had to look for other ways to score,” Jennings said after the game.
Jennings added that Bob Jones came out flat in the game but after the time out in the third quarter “everything became like surreal at that moment like if we don’t play hard they could win this game and our season would be over.”
The experience Jennings got last year playing in the big arena like Tom Drake Coliseum seemed to make a difference.
“I don’t think the underclassmen could get used to a big crowd like this but you can’t let it get to you. You just have to play hard and tune them out,” Jennings said.
When Jasmine Jones muscled her way to a basket in the lane with 1:50 left it put Bob Jones up 49-39. Jones finished with 13 points and 20 rebounds.
Bob Jones won despite shooting only 1 of 7 from 3-point range. At the foul line the Patriots made up for it by hitting 16 of 18 free throws for almost 90 percent. They also outrebounded Northridge 40-24.
“I thought Northridge was well coached, well disciplined, and they did some things on the floor that gave us problems,” said Miller who was on hand earlier in the day to see Bessemer City defeat Buckhorn 73-70.
Last season Bob Jones defeated Bessemer City 50-24 in a semifinal game at the Northwest Regional but Miller knows it won’t be that easy again.
“Chelsea Black is the best point guard in the state of Alabama, signed with UAB. She averages 25 or 30 points a game. They are very tall, athletic, well coached, we will have our work cut out for us on Friday,” Miller said.
