By Joe Medley, East Alabama Sports Today
HEFLIN — Spring Garden’s boys came into the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic undefeated and left that way, but the Panthers got something out of their stay in Heflin.
They got tested.
John Welsh’s bucket with 13 seconds left put Spring Garden back ahead after Ohatchee rallied from 13 points behind to lead, and the Panthers’ staved off two Ohatchee shot attempts on the final possession to win Saturday’s championship game, 56-55.
The Class 1A Panthers’ one-point victory over 3A Ohatchee (11-3) came a day after they beat Class 5A Central-Clay 58-55 to earn a berth in the eight-team tourney’s title game.
Spring Garden had two other three-point victories this season, over North Sand Mountain (91-88) and Donoho (60-57).
“It’s good, because we started and had some good wins, but it’s like we talked about,” Spring Garden coach Levi Hatcher said. “We need some of those close games.
“We need some of those close games. We need the athletic games and the physical games and the ones where we’ve got to fight through adversity, because it will pay off down the road.”
Welsh scored a game-high 25 points, and Jacob Welsh scored 22 as Spring Garden built a 31-23 lead at halftime and 48-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The lead edged to 13 points.
Led by Ashton Carroll’s 16 points, 15 from Jake Roberson and 14 from Brayden Collins, Ohatchee rallied and took a 55-54 lead on Roberson’s transition bucket on Collins’ steal and pass with 1:10 to play.
Colby Hester took a charge to end Spring Garden’s ensuing possession.
Collins missed two free throws with 26 seconds left, setting the stage for Spring Garden’s game-winning possession. John Welsh improvised, dribble-driving when Ohatchee cut off a passing lane for Jaylen Baker-Brown.
“I just had to make a play,” Welsh said. “Our guys trust me. I trust them to let me get the ball in the hoop, so that’s what I did.”
Hatcher expects no less from Welsh.
“He got to a spot and finished it,” Hatcher said. “It was John being a playmaker, is what it was.”
Ohatchee had one final possession, Collins missed a 3-point try from top-right, and Jacob Welsh blocked Hester’s attempt at a putback.
“I wanted to call a timeout, but sometimes, you’ve just got to let them play,” first-year Ohatchee coach Quintarius Hutchison said. “They bring us all the way back letting them play, so hey.
“We got a good look. We got a wide-open three and didn’t make it.”
As for Ohatchee’s comeback, it happened despite Roberson playing with four fouls. The Indians’ post had to stop playing defense aggressively in the fourth quarter.
The comeback is evidence that the Indians are responding in year one under Hutchison.
“My boys, they fight,” Hutchison said. “We’ve been in a couple of tough games and lost them, but they showed they can fight.
“In practice, I put them down 20, 30 points every practice. If you lose, you run. They’ve come back every practice, and they showed it today.”
