Local athletes help Alabama score wins over Mississippi

MOBILE – Alabama clawed out a 91-85 win over Mississippi in the 35th annual Alabama-Mississippi Classic All-Star Game held at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center in Mobile in the boys game while Alabama’s girls beat the visiting girls squad from Mississippi 8171 to extend its series winning streak eight in-a-row.

In the boys matchup, Bob Jones senior and recent Murray State signee Kaden Rickard was one of the dozen players from across Alabama to suit up for the host team and was selected as one of the five starters. The 6-foot-6 center/forward played nearly 14 minutes hitting two of three field goals for four total points. He also pulled down three defensive rebounds and had two blocked shots while on the court of the University of South Alabama.

“With a team like we had with all sorts of great talent, you do what you can do in the limited playing time,” said Rickard. “With so much talent and being an All-Star game, every player has to touch the floor. I think I played my worth in those minutes I was on the floor. I played as hard as I could and did what I was supposed to do. As for getting the starting nod, we weren’t told who was starting until right before game time.”

For the girls to roll past Mississippi after the two teams were tied at halftime, Alabama put on an explosive show in the third quarter outscoring the visitors by 11 in the stanza and then posted the 10-point victory. Leading the way for Alabama were Ace Austin of Spring Garden and Hoover’s Kaitlyn Gipson both topped the Alabama squad with 17 points each. Gipson hit 7 of 19 from the field and added two steals on defense.

Gipson just happened to be the niece of Sparkman head coach Emily Flanigan who was selected for the team to be an assistant coach for Spring Garden’s Ricky Austin who was acting head coach for the annual game. Flanigan, who led her Lady Senators to a 13-15 record this past season in her first year as head coach at the Harvest school, was thrilled to be a part of a huge event as the 35th meeting between the two states and the opportunity to coach her niece.

“It was a privilege to coach Kaitlyn, which was undoubtedly the highlight of my weekend at the Classic,” said Flanigan. “Being a part of the All-Star Classic was a tremendous experience as the talent, passion and commitment displayed by all the players were truly remarkable and I appreciated the opportunity to assist Coach Austin who is a legendary figure in coaching.”

Rickard’s help in keeping Alabama steadfast in its run at a victory was indeed a highlight of his final game of his high school basketball. Trailing by two at halftime, Alabama sprang to an eight-point second half advantage on the way to the six-point victory over Mississippi.

“The overall experience was good as I knew most of the players on our squad and I would rank this game high on my list of games in my high school years,” explained Rickard. “It was pretty special to be selected, plus my mother and grandmother traveled to the game to watch me play, which made it even more special.”

As for Flanigan, her thoughts after her first season at Sparkman included what she considered a privilege to coach in a prestigious game like the Classic. She said, “I extend my gratitude to the administration and the board for their trust in me to represent Madison County in the All-Star Game. For me, the entire season was memorable, especially as I embarked on my first year at Sparkman. I cherish my girls, my assistant coaches and the very supportive parents of my girls. I’m excited about our future.”