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Ahrielle Parks hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds to force overtime, before Spain Park went on to beat Huffman 56-53 to open the season in thrilling fashion. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The last time the Spain Park Jaguars stepped foot on the basketball floor was eight months ago at Legacy Arena when they completed a redemption path to bring home the 2017-18 state championship with a dominant 56-26 win against McGill-Toolen.

On Thursday, Nov. 8, the Jags were back up to their old ways in their first game since that state championship win, as they kick-started the 2018-19 season as defending champs in typical Spain Park fashion with a thrilling 56-53 overtime victory against the Huffman Vikings.

It was such a back-and-forth game with little consistency, that head coach Mike Chase didn’t know how to react after.

“There is so much that went on that game,” Chase said after with a grin that showed relief. “They played a great game. We did what we could to battle back and they kept answering. We were fortunate to get out with a win and we are going to have to get a lot better, but we have some good film to look at now.”

After the Vikings had seemingly taken control to start the final quarter, Spain Park’s full court press not only forced four turnovers in a row at one point, but brought the Jags to within a point late.

The Jaguars kept getting chances due to Huffman’s struggles at the free throw line, but nonetheless, the Vikings were able to take a five-point lead at 50-45 in the final 30 seconds thanks to making one of two free throws.

Ahrielle Parks continued an already impressive game by the way she finished out the quarter. On the ensuing Spain Park possession, she sprinted down the floor and laid the ball in on a scoop and score to bring the Jags within three points with 13.9 seconds to play.

After Huffman missed two more free throws to give the Jags a chance, Parks found herself with the ball again and sprinted up the floor with little time left. Battling a double team, she stopped on a dime, jumped up as high as she could and split the double team’s outstretched arms to fire a shot that arced high in the air before banking off the glass and falling through the net for a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.

Spain Park scored first to start the overtime period before falling behind 53-52 shortly after, but the Jags then went on a 4-0 run to take a 56-53 lead thanks to another layup by parks.

Despite Huffman having several chances at the free throw line, it was a lead the Jaguars didn’t relinquish to complete the hard-fought comeback with a 56-53 victory to start the 2018-19 season.

“Look, we stole that one,” Chase admitted. “They probably deserved to win that game. We had a nice spurt late in the fourth quarter to turn them over and made some baskets. We played with some urgency during that stretch, but didn’t play with urgency like we needed to.”

Straight from the opening tip, the Jags showed they are still more than capable of scoring points as the ball eventually found the hands of senior Parks, who drained a quick 3-pointer to gather the first of her many baskets.

With that shot, the Jags jolted out to an 8-4 lead and just as we though the first-game jitters wouldn’t be a problem, the lack of competition regular-season competition in several months showed off.

Spain Park became turnover prone over the second half of the quarter, which led to a 7-0 run by Huffman to take its first lead of the game at 11-8 on a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the quarter.

Luckily for the Jags, Kamryn Corey was able to end that run and give Spain Park some confidence at the end of the quarter with a buzzer-beating offensive board and put back to cut the deficit to a point at 11-10.

On the first possession of the second half, it looked like the Jags were falling back into the same lull it was in for the majority of the second half of the opening quarter, which led to a quick timeout by Chase.

A beautiful set play out of the timeout led to a wide open 3-pointer for Barker, who made the opportunity count and drained it.

That led to the Jags’ second 8-4 run of the game, as they stole the lead back at 18-15 after Barker picked up a breakaway layup followed by a steal before kicking the ball out to Caroline Keith for another 3-pointer shortly after.

The Vikings got back to within a point shortly after, but the Jags answered with one more free throw from Parks before the half to give them a two-point advantage at the break.

In the third quarter, Parks made some more big baskets for Spain Park, which is what kept Spain Park in reach, because Huffman turned up its game.

The Vikings started the quarter on a 4-0 run and played much better on both ends of the floor, converting on opportunities and making life difficult for Spain Park’s offense.

Huffman eventually took a six-point, 32-26, lead, before Spain Park battled back to get within two points at 33-31. The Vikings, however, had another answer with a 3-pointer just before the end of the quarter to grab a 36-31 lead heading to the final period.

A big part of the comeback in the fourth quarter wasn’t just the play of Parks, who had 11 points in the period, but also the help of senior Bailey Bowers.

Bowers struggled to find her shot in the first three quarters, but the rust had faded away by the final period as she drained her first 3-pointer of the game to start the final quarter.

As Huffman started to pull away, she hit another big one that sparked a 7-0 run to bring the Jags to within a point at 46-45.

That was all part of the stretch where Spain Park forced four consecutive turnovers by the Vikings to get back in the game.

Spain Park was led by Parks with 23 points, while Barker started her junior season with 21 points, as those two made play-after-play to keep the team going.

Chase also eluded to the lack of depth and several young starters, saying the team should improve with experience and health.

Photos available at Shelbycountyphotos.com.

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