By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
Gadsden City once again was one win away from a trip to the Final 48 in Birmingham, and once again the Titans fell a game short of the state tournament.
Mountain Brook defeated Gadsden City, 65-59, the championship game of the Class 7A Northeast Region Tournament on Tuesday (Feb. 17) at Jacksonville State.
“Hats off to Mountain Brook,” said Gadsden City coach Reginald Huff. “They are strong and aggressive and they hustle. It just came down to hitting a shot or two. Our guys played hard and I’m really proud of them.”
The Titans (24-6) scored the first five points of the third quarter to go ahead 37-36, but Mountain Brook (26-7) rallied and led 49-44 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Josh Juddine opened the fourth with a three-point basket that cut the Spartan lead to 49-47. From there, the lead changed hands several times until a pair of Hunter Lucas free throws put the Spartans ahead 57-55 with 2:25 left in the game, a lead they never relinquished.
Gadsden City’s defense forced 24 turnovers but the Titans only made 14-of-26 (20 percent) shots from the free-throw line.
Mountain Brook took a 19-15 lead after the first 8:00 of play and led 36-32 at halftime.
Chris Dudley led Gadsden City with 16 points, followed by Darnell Mooney with 13 and Josh Juddine with 11.
Dudley grabbed six rebounds, while Darnell Mooney had five steals.
Lucas paced the Spartans with 16 points, followed by Jack Cline with 12 and Terrell Guy with 10.