By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor 

HOOVER – After losing several tightly-contested games in heartbreaking fashion this season, minus one thrilling buzzer-beater against Hewitt-Trussville, the Spain Park boys basketball team had been through it all on the way to a 6-22 overall record heading into a matchup with crosstown rival and No. 2 ranked Hoover on Friday, Feb. 1.

Needing their best effort of the season against the Bucs, that’s exactly what the Jaguars got.

In a rivalry where records go out the window, Spain Park shot 16-18 from the free throw line and held Hoover to just 15 first-half points, as the Jaguars pulled off an unbelievable one-point upset by a final of 47-46.

The free throw shooting is what can’t be overlooked.

Not only did the Jags shoot 89 percent from the line in the game, but made eight of their 10 from the line in the final quarter, including the biggest one of the game with 15 seconds left.

With 1:21 left in the game, Spain Park was able to open up the lead by seven points at 46-39, but the Bucs battled back fiercely and quickly. In less than a minute, they were able to storm back to tie the game at 46-46 after CJ Melton hit a 3-pointer with just less than 20 seconds left in the game.

It didn’t take long for the Jags to earn a trip to the free throw line, however, and after knocking one down with 15 seconds left, they were back in front by a point at 47-46.

Hoover ended up with the final possession and a chance to win the game in the final seconds. The Bucs got a great look at a 3-pointer with four seconds left on the clock, but the shot clanked off the left side of the rim as the final buzzer sounded, sending the Jags into a frenzy.

They immediately sprinted toward the student section and all chaos broke out, as they had pulled off an unreal upset of their rival to close out the regular season on senior night.

Early in the game, it was Spain Park’s defense that was key in not only giving the Jags a lead, but the confidence that they could possibly pull off the victory.

Despite a slow start offensively, scoring just seven points in the opening quarter, the Jaguars held Hoover to just nine points in the period and didn’t lose too much ground.

In the second quarter, that defensive effort got even better, as the Jags held the Bucs to just six points on two made field goals, while SPHS put together its best quarter of the game offensively.

Behind four points from Cam Crawford and Austin Laatsch, as well as three from Parker Boswell and two from Blake Nord and Jacob Jenkins, the Jaguars had put 15 points on the board to all of a sudden storm in front 22-15 at the half.

Spain Park used an 8-3 run through the first five minutes of the quarter to not only gain momentum, but build belief that a win was possible.

With the seven-point lead to start the third quarter, the Jags didn’t just believe, they felt like they were supposed to win.

Hoover, however, is the No. 2 team in the state for a reason. The Bucs started the period on a 9-4 run to cut Spain Park’s lead to four points midway through the period.

Spain Park wasn’t ready to relinquish the lead though, and despite being outscored 15-11 in the quarter thanks to Melton posting nine points, the Jags held tough and took a 33-30 lead into the fourth.

The Jaguars worked on extending that lead the entire quarter until Hoover wiped the deficit off the board in a hurry in the final 1:30 of the game, only to have the game ripped away by a tough Spain Park team that had controlled the majority of the night.

Crawford led the way for Spain Park with 15 points in the win, while Boswell posted nine points in his final home game for the Jaguars. Laatsch added six points in his final game, as the last of the Laatsch brothers, who have been a staple around the county for many years, closed out his final high school home game.

The Jags will now look to build off the success when they travel to Mountain Brook on Friday, Feb. 8, to take on Vestavia Hills in the first round of the area tournament, looking for a spot in the postseason.