SPARTANS PUNCH TICKET TO REGIONAL FINAL

The Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal high school basketball games took place on Thursday at Wallace State Community College. Here’s a recap of the first four games, all involving local schools. Boys - Mountain Brook 67, Florence 48 A typical Mountain Brook boys basketball performance led the Spartans to a convincing 67-48 win over Florence on Thursday. It wasn’t flashy, but a complete team effort helped the Spartans inch a step closer to a fourth straight state title. “When we take care of the ball, our defense is going to be really good,” Mountain Brook head coach Bucky McMillan said. “Teams have a tough time getting to 50 on us, so if we take care of the ball we’re not spotting them any points.” Florence stayed with Mountain Brook through the first quarter, with the score 16-14 in Mountain Brook’s favor, but the Spartans started to pull away at that point due in large part to the play of Carter Sobera. Sobera stepped up with Colby Jones in foul trouble to score 15 first-half points. He finished with 25 points in the contest. Sobera continued to dominate the paint with bucket after bucket, with the senior going 11-for-12 from the floor while playing 26 minutes. After an even third quarter, Mountain Brook iced the game by only allowing five fourth quarter points to the Falcons. Mountain Brook will face area opponent Spain Park in the regional final on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m.

SPARTANS PUNCH TICKET TO REGIONAL FINAL

Photo Credit: Erin Nelson