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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The Oak Mountain Eagles entered the day with a perfect 12-0 record, but after a hard-fought effort from the Spain Park Jaguars, that undefeated run is now more.

Spain Park won a tightly-matched thriller between the two U.S. 280-area rivals 62-58 on Thursday, Dec. 12 at Spain Park High School, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the process while facing the best team in Shelby County.

For a pair of explosive offenses, the first quarter started out at a much more measured pace than expected.

Sam Fox hit a pair of early 3-pointers to help lead the Jags offense, but Oak Mountain chose to spread the ball around, getting field goals from Chris Kunard, Rocco Plaia and Blake Benson along with a 4-for-4 free throw stretch from Chase Lamey and Patton Knight.

The Jags held a slight 12-10 lead over the Eagles at the end of the first quarter, but that advantage only grew in the second quarter.

Spain Park’s Tommy Morrison took over the game, scoring 11 points in the second after being held scoreless in the first quarter. Add in a couple of baskets from Riley Kent and Harrison Stewart, and the Jags offense was clicking on all cylinders.

Oak Mountain, on the other hand, got a pair of 3-pointers to fall from Lamey and Kason Lemons but still needed to rely on trips to the free throw line to keep pace. The Eagles went 8-for-10 as a team on free throws in the second.

However, they still trailed 36-26 going into halftime as tensions rose between the two rivals.

As the teams exited the locker rooms, the offensive pace leaned more towards the pensive one shown in the first quarter.

Josh Fonbah led a balanced scoring effort from the Jags with four points while Morrison hit another 3-pointer to stay hot.

Lamey and Will Patterson hit long balls on the other end of the court, but the best that Oak Mountain could do was match Spain Park’s offensive output.

That left the Jags still up 10 with the score at 49-39 heading into the fourth quarter, but the lead wouldn’t last for long.

The Eagles caught fire out of the gate for an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two with 5:06 remaining. Then, Spain Park responded by scoring four straight points to take a two-possession lead with the score at 53-47 with 3:47 left in the game.

Both teams gave it their all down the stretch, with seven different Oak Mountain players scoring in the fourth, including multiple baskets from Lamey and Patterson, and Kent and Morrison continuing to come up big for the Jags.

Spain Park’s lead sat at just 59-58 with 22 seconds remaining, but the Jags hit multiple free throws down the stretch. The decisive blow came with 4.6 seconds remaining when Morrison knocked down a free throw to put the Jags up four and ice the game.

Morrison finished with 19 points for Spain Park, and Kent and Fox each joined him in double figures with 11 points each. Fonbah and Harrison Stewart each finished with four points.

As for Oak Mountain, Lamey led the team with 17 points. Patterson dropped 13 points, Plaia posted eight points, Blake Benson scored six points and Lemons and Patton Knight each had five points.

Both teams will have a quick turnaround as the 5-7 Jags will head across town to face Homewood on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Homewood High School and the 12-1 Eagles will look to start a new win streak against Gardendale on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Oak Mountain High School.