Seniors want another championship, Lady Patriots confident heading to Birmingham
Area opponents Decatur, Austin, and Huntsville were the first to go down. Next were regional opponents Northridge and Bessemer City; tougher competition but in the end the same result.
The Bob Jones girl’s basketball team heads to Birmingham late this week for a Friday semi-final matchup with Davidson at 12 noon. For the first time in school history, the Lady Patriots seek to repeat as state champions.
One constant for the Lady Patriots through the playoffs has been the seniors stepping up with big games when they were needed.
One of those senior leaders for the Lady Patriots is Jasmine Jones. At 6-foot-1, Jones has the size and ability to carry a team through to a state championship. She has signed to play in college at the University of Tennessee, one of the elite programs in women’s college basketball.
Jones spent her freshman and sophomore years at Sparkman watching the Senators come close but fall in the regional championship round. Now in her second year at Bob Jones she is going for her second state championship.
“I transferred from Sparkman because of the program here and Coach Miller. He is a great coach and I could see that sitting on the opposite bench,” Jones said. “I like the way he handles his players, the discipline. I can handle the discipline really well.”
Jones said that the championship ring the girls received last year provides a lot of motivation for this year’s team to repeat and get another one.
“It’s nice and a big motivation,” Jones said.
“Getting the championship ring is a big motivation for us. Everybody came back from last season. It would mean a lot to the school because we all have a close relationship with the teachers. All the teachers and principals really support us. It is an exciting time for us. We have worked so hard. It is getting real intense in practice and we have to bring that intensity to the games as they get bigger.”
When Jones looks around on the court she sees teammates who complement her game. There are two ball handlers, two rebounders, a shooting guard who leads the team in three-point baskets, and a deep bench that allows her not to get worn down.
Sisters Lindsey Jennings and Joidan Jennings are veteran ball handlers and can play the point or the shooting guard. Joidan is the senior and has signed to play at UNA. Lindsey Jennings is a junior and has emerged as an impact player both in the backcourt and down low. She is now the third leading rebounder on the team averaging 5 a game, and averages 6 points per game. She had one of her best games of the season with 10 points against Austin in the area tournament.
Lindsey Jennings moved into the starting lineup early this season when DeAsha Campbell went down with an injured ankle.
Senior China Leary is the scoring threat from outside who can also handle the point. She leads the team in three-point baskets and averages 10 points a game.
Down low Tierra Jones uses power and strength to dominate the boards and draws fouls. She is second on the team in points and rebounds averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds a game. Many of her points come from the foul line. She also has signed to play basketball in college at Tulane University.
In Miller’s system each player has a role to play.
“China’s role is to defend good, shoot the three’s, and make good passes,” Miller said. “Joidan’s role is taking care of the basketball. We look to her to push it up and down the floor and make good decisions at the point.”
According to Miller, Tierra Jones plays much larger than her listed 5-foot-9 size.
“She’s 5-9 and plays like she is 6-2. When we have Tierra and Jasmine on the floor together, teams have a matchup problem with us. Tierra gives us that power game of rebounding, finishing, defending, drawing fouls and that helps Jasmine.”
Experience is a common factor among the starters. The Bob Jones team that won the state championship last year returned almost intact.
“We’ve been through this before,” Miller said. “I think our experience is most important. Our kids understand the one and done situation. They understand they have got to bring their best game every night.”
That is exactly what the Lady Patriots did last season at the BJCC in the Final Four. In the semi-final they dispatched fourth ranked Jeff Davis 62-25. As they entered the championship game against top ranked Hoover it was Bob Jones that was considered the underdog, ranked #3. But when it was over Bob Jones had a 39-36 win and most observers said the game was not as close as the final score indicated.
Led by tournament MVP Jasmine Jones it was the fast break and pressure defense that wore down Hoover and was the difference in the game. That is the same formula Bob Jones has used this season to dominate opponents. If anything, the Lady Patriots are even better at both those parts of their game than they were last season.
This year Jones has elevated her game to another level. She has developed her outside game and 3-point shooting to prepare her for the college game. It also brings another dimension to this team.
“At the next level she is going to play some guard and forward,” said coach Tim Miller said. “Letting her develop her ball handling and outside game helps her and helps us.”
