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Spain Park caught fire from beyond the arc and dominated the offensive glass, while also forcing several turnovers in a win against Homewood. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By SETH HAGAN | For the Reporter

HOOVER – What ended up being an easy win could’ve turned sour after a slow start, but the Spain Park Jaguars’ girls basketball team moved to 2-1 on the season as they controlled the possession game and shut down the Homewood Patriots at home, 60-42.

The first quarter was rough for both teams as they struggled from the field and combined for 15 turnovers. Spain Park (2-1) employed their full court press from the onset as the Jags’ defense had to sustain them in the early going.

Freshman Mackenzie Culpepper got the Jags going from the outside with a three for an early 5-1 lead. It took the Patriots almost five minutes to score their first basket and Caidyn Cannon hit a second in a row not long after to tie the score at 5-5.

It was Ahrielle Parks’ turn next as she connected from long range, but Homewood tied the score again shortly after.

Spain Park’s Sarah Ashlee Barker missed her first four shots of the game, but stayed engaged and hit consecutive threes in the last 15 seconds of the quarter to give the Jags a 14-8 lead.

Barker didn’t waste time in the second quarter hitting a third three in a row in less than 30 seconds of the period starting. Culpepper also hit again from downtown as the teams battled back and forth from there until halftime.

The Patriots stayed in the game by finding their way to the charity stripe 15 times in the first half with 11 of those coming in the second quarter alone.

“They were getting by us and doing a good job of getting into our body, getting us in a bad position defensively and getting to the free throw line,” said Spain Park head coach Mike Chase. “That was disappointing and we talked about it after the game and it’s something we’re really going to have to work on going forward.

Barker stayed hot to end the quarter with all seven of her team’s final points of the half. Going back to the first period, the future Georgia Bulldog scored 16 of Spain Park’s final 19 points going into halftime, helping lead the Jaguars to a 27-20 advantage.

“She really kept us in it early,” Chase said of Barker. “We ran a set piece and I think she had four threes in the first half of that and if we don’t score those 12 points we don’t go in with a seven-point lead at the end of the first half.”

The Jaguars took control in the third quarter forcing another eight Homewood turnovers, many of which keyed a 12-1 run that gave Spain Park a double digit lead for good.

Barker, Parks and Culpepper scored 18 of the team’s 19 points with Parks scoring nine of her 13 in the quarter.

“Ahrielle, through two games, was leading us in scoring averaging 20, 21 points a game,” Chase said. “She’s a four-year varsity player, has really improved her game and had to increase her scoring with us losing out all-time leading scorer last year, Claire Holt.

“Mackenzie is just a freshman and has really just had one practice with us. She’s an all-state cross country runner so she’s a great athlete and a great basketball player. She filled a void, took advantage when the ball was kicked out to her, lined it up and stroked it. We needed that extra scoring punch from her tonight.”

Not only did the Jags force 22 turnovers through three quarters, they grabbed a jaw-dropping 24 offensive rebounds to help them completely dominate the game’s possessions.

They cruised in the fourth quarter and outscored Homewood in each quarter of the game.

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