By Daniel Schmidt
BIRMINGHAM — As one of the best teams in program history, the No. 5 Auburn High School girls’ basketball team met No. 3 Bob Jones High School on March 5 with dreams of advancing to the school’s first championship game.
Instead, the Lady Tigers (24-4) fell in a 65-63 heartbreaker to the Lady Patriots (26-6) in the 7A state tournament semifinals despite leading by 15 points in the second quarter and shooting 61% from the field.
A visibly moved AHS head basketball coach Courtney Pritchett expressed his disappointment with the result and thanked God, the community and the school for what was an otherwise magical season.
“I’ve been there eight years, and we’ve been to five Final Fours, but I’ve got to be honest, I really want to get past this game,” Pritchett said. “We’ve just got to trust His direction for our season and for their lives, basketball and regular. But it’s been great to be in Auburn and have this kind of success. The hope is that we can continue to get here and get past this game, definitely for the players.”
A key component of the game was the Lady Tigers’ performance at the free-throw line.
On the season, AHS has shot 56% from the line as a team. On Thursday, they shot 13-of-29 from the line, or 45%, as BJHS appeared to intentionally foul their youngest players late in the game.
“You’ve got an eighth grader [shooting free throws at the end of the game], and that’s a big task for any kid, but it’s definitely a big task for an eighth grader,” Pritchett said. “They’ll be ready whenever it’s another time for them to do it, but I think that probably was a good part of [BJHS’] strategy.”
Despite coming up just short of achieving one of her ultimate goals, star senior guard Braylee Winfrey dazzled in her final game in an Auburn jersey with 30 points, four rebounds and six steals.
The Stephen F. Austin University signee leaves as one of the Lady Tigers’ most decorated players after just two years on the team and was a “blessing” to coach according to Pritchett.
“This was a great group of girls,” Winfrey said. “I haven’t experienced this in a while, so just how close we were in the short amount of time, the younger girls coming in and just how we clicked, and this has been a great team. I’m really blessed to play with them.”
The Lady Tigers got out to a dream start on both ends of the court as Braylee Winfrey and Kayden Carr began a combined three-of-three from three and the defense forced nine turnovers. By the time a high-octane first quarter ended, AHS found itself with a 22-13 lead.
That good form continued into the second quarter with a 10-4 Lady Tigers run in the opening two minutes courtesy of Winfrey’s near-perfect jump shot. However, the Lady Patriots closed with a late run of their own, and AHS was unable to extend its nine-point lead by the halftime buzzer.
Up 40-31 after the break, the Lady Tigers’ lead slowly shrank as their mid-range jump shots went cold, BJHS found space in the paint and the pace of play noticeably slowed down. That set the stage for a 19-10 Lady Patriots run, which tied the game 50-50 entering the fourth quarter.
AHS found itself in a five-point hole within the first four minutes as BJHS’ playmakers dominated on the pick-and-roll before Carr lit a spark with a much-needed three-pointer around the halfway mark. In the end, the Lady Tigers couldn’t convert enough of their free throw attempts in the final two minutes.
Winfrey finished as the game’s leading scorer with 30 points for the Lady Tigers, while Carr added 12 points. Ella Watts led the Lady Patriots with 29 points, and Ja’Kyah Smith contributed 24 points.
