By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SPRING GARDEN – Back when they were younger, Spring Garden girls basketball seniors Ace Austin, Maggie Jarrett, Olivia Law, Kristen Lewis and Avery Steward used to see if they could figure out how many years it would take to fill out the area championship banner that hangs in Dale Welsh Gymnasium.
As it turns out, the year 2025 would be the last year on that banner, provided they did their part to keep the streak going by winning an area championship every year they played on varsity.
On Monday night against Jacksonville Christian, the Lady Panthers can officially say they filled in the 30th year on the maroon-and-gold area championship banner emphatically.
Behind four Steward 3-pointers in the first quarter, Spring Garden bombed the Thunder with a 42-0 run en route to an 83-20 victory.
“That’s, what, 13 in a row now? That’s pretty cool knowing our senior year we got to put the last one on that banner,” Steward said.
“I hope that doesn’t mean it’s the last one,” Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said. “They were just talking at shoot around last night about ‘We want that last spot filled with our number on it.’
“We really don’t talk about area championships because most of the time we set our goals higher. This is one of the stepping stones in the process of what you want. You look around and see other accomplishments, and that (area championship) has to be there. It’s just part of the process when the playoffs start. It’s an honor to be part of that many. It’s really astonishing now when you see how many in a row that is.”
Coach Austin said he’s been looking for Steward to become more aggressive with her shooting.
What better time than Monday?
“A couple of weeks ago, I had a couple of hard practice sessions with her,” he said. “We’ve been shooting the ball really good, but we’ve started talking the last two or three practices about how making threes is not something we hope anymore. Going forward, it’s who we are. Let’s shoot fearless. Let’s be fearless shooters. That’s who we are. That is who we’ve become right now.”
Speaking of fearless, that’s who University of Alabama signee Ace Austin has been for a while now. She led the Lady Panthers with 21 points Monday, but she also dished out nine assists, grabbed six rebounds, had five steals and blocked three shots.
Several of Ace’s assists came via a long cross-court pass.
“I think that goes back to when I played so much football in the backyard and at the beach with my brothers,” Ace said. “As a point guard, you’ve got to have that type of vision. That’s one key to us, run outs like that. It’s good to have players on your team who can run the floor like that. It’s hard to guard.”
Ace’s father can attest his daughter has “a pretty good arm.”
“We’ve spent hours and hours on the beach throwing a football. She is relentless. She will not stop,” he joked. “She wears me, Cooper and Riley (Ace’s brothers) out when we go. She won’t let us sit down. It’s continuous.
“I saw a little bit of that arm in her tonight. What’s special about that is how she releases it at the right point. A lot of times, the defense doesn’t even know the ball is in the air. When they turn around, the ball has already gone by them.”
Spring Garden led 40-0 at the end of the first quarter. Jacksonville Christian didn’t score its first basket until the 6:41 mark of the second – a 3-pointer by Katie Beth Hudson.
It would be the Thunder’s only basket in the first half, as the Lady Panthers cruised to a 58-3 advantage behind 11 treys. Spring Garden finished with 14 made 3-pointers in the game.
Ace Austin was one of four Lady Panthers who scored in double figures. Law contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, six steals and two assists. Steward had 12 points, and Lacie Jo McMurray sank three treys and finished with 11 points.
Lewis rang for seven points. Montana Highfield had six, and Jarrett finished with five points.
Jarrett earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor. She also had six boards, six steals, four blocks and a pair of assists.
“There were some aspects of the game where we were definitely being selfless tonight, letting each other score,” Jarrett said. “I may not have had that many points, but I definitely felt involved with all the action going on – on defense, passing the ball around, giving my teammates chances to score, just creating moments for them to have.”
Monday night was a moment Coach Austin said was a long time coming for Jarrett.
“When the season started, it was a lot of Ace, but I remember telling Maggie she’s got to be the next girl,” he said. “We really pushed and pushed and pushed. Right around Christmas at the Greeneville (Tenn.) tournament, she really started putting together back-to-back games. This was earned a long time ago but it’s much deserved for the way she’s doing things right now.”
Joining Jarrett from Spring Garden on the all-tournament team is Ace Austin, Law and Steward. Addie Grace Lee was selected from Jacksonville Christian.
Lee, along with Modesti Carr, had five points apiece. Sophie Williams led the Thunder with seven points.
Both teams will advance to sub-regional play. They await Tuesday’s Area 16 championship game results between Oakwood Adventist and Ider. Spring Garden will host the loser and Jacksonville Christian will travel to the winner this weekend.
“We always say that’s our last senior night,” Steward said of hosting sub-regionals. “It’s just a lot of fun getting to play here again.”
