By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

HOOVER – After traveling to Washington, Ill., over Thanksgiving break to compete in the Coventry Health Tournament of Champions against some of the top prep programs from across the country, Spain Park came back to Alabama and took on Oak Mountain on the road in both teams’ first game back since the break. Spain Park beat the Eagles on the road by a final of 60-41.

The Jaguars went 1-2 at the Tournament of Champions, dropping their overall record to 4-2. Oak Mountain on the other hand was coming off a win over Briarwood in the finals of the Bryant Bank Thanksgiving Classic and brought a 5-2 record into the early season matchup.

Jamal Johnson and Austin Wiley scored all 15 of Spain Park’s first quarter points as the Jaguars took an early 15-10 lead after the first quarter. Payton Youngblood, back after missing the finals of the Bryant Bank tournament with a sprained ankle, scored nine of his teams’ 10 first quarter points while Gabe Haynes hit a single free throw to contribute the other point.

Youngblood held serve with Wiley down low in the second quarter, pouring in six more compared to Wiley’s five second quarter points, and Oak Mountain clawed back to within two points at the half, and went into the locker room trailing 23-21.

After a first half that saw just three Jaguars break into the scoring column, the second half was much more evenly distributed from a scoring perspective. Justin Brown, who did not score a single point in the first half, was good for 11 second-half points while Jameson Floyd and Gordie Stewart both hit triples in the half as well. Spain Park outscored Oak Mountain 22-11 in the third quarter, which has been right around the time in games this season when the Jaguars have turned up the heat on opponents, to take a commanding 45-32 lead entering the fourth quarter, a lead Spain Park expanded only extended in the fourth.

Youngblood finished with 15 to lead Oak Mountain and Yeadon Patrick was the only other Eagle to finish in double figures with 10. Wiley finished with 21 to lead all scores while Johnson finished with 19 and Brown finished with 11.

Spain Park moved to 5-2 on the year while Oak Mountain fell to 5-3.