By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

BIRMINGHAM – The Shelby County Wildcats have won the Class 5A Area 8 title after a tight win over the Briarwood Christian Lions on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Shelby County won 41-39 to continue its magical season that has seen the Wildcats win more games this season (18) than they had in the previous four seasons combined (11).

“I feel like we were the underdogs all year long,” Shelby County head coach Ashley Phillips said. “We were playing our best basketball at the end, but they (Briarwood) have a great team, and tonight we came out on top.”

Kenna’d Buie shined once again for Shelby County, pacing the team with 20 points, nearly half of the Wildcats’ scoring output. Buie was the only Shelby County player to score in double figures as the seventh grader got to the paint with ease behind impressive ball-handling techniques.

Emma Kerley and Ann Tatum Baker combined for 24 of Briarwood’s 39 points, with Kerley scoring 14 and Baker adding 10 on a night when she scored her 1,00th career point. The dynamic duo were the only Lions to crack the double-figure mark.

The Wildcats opened the game with a stifling 2-3 zone on the defensive side of the ball. Briarwood was forced to take plenty of contested 3-pointers as coach Phillips’ team rotated well on defense.

The game was low-scoring early, as Briarwood took a 3-2 lead behind a corner three from Sasha Munikar with 5:06 left in the first. Buie then got into her groove offensively, driving the ball to the paint repeatedly to push the lead to 12-4 with 1:20 left.

The score of the game was 12-7 headed to the second quarter after a three from Baker near the end of the first.

The second quarter began with great defensive efforts from both teams. Shelby County and the Lions both caused multiple turnovers, and neither offense found a groove.

The game sat at 15-13 with 2:30 left in the quarter. At this point, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to close the quarter, which included a bank-in, step-back three from Buie at the buzzer that stunned Briarwood’s home crowd.

The third quarter saw the Lions respond from Shelby County’s second-quarter run. Briarwood’s defense didn’t allow a point from the Wildcats until 3:37 left in the quarter when Arnold scored a layup.

Briarwood took advantage of the tough defense on the offensive end by playing through Kerley, who began to impose her will inside. The third was Kerley’s best quarter of the night as she scored nine of her 14 points. Briarwood cut the lead to a two-point game, 26-24 with 2:28 left.

However, Shelby County finally responded to the Lions’ onslaught behind a timely bucket from Emily Dixon.

Dixon’s only points in the quarter came on a layup off an offensive rebound that pushed the lead to four with 1:53 left. While Buie was the star of the game for the Wildcats, plays like Dixon’s were equally important in delivering the area title to Shelby County.

After a couple of defensive stops, Buie ran out in transition and found Arnold for a three to push the lead to 31-24 right at a minute to go. However, Kerley responded with a Stephen Curry-range 3-pointer of her own to cut the lead right back to four.

The score sat at 31-27 headed to the fourth with an electric atmosphere at Briarwood’s gym as both fanbases knew what was at stake.

After plenty of great plays from Buie, the Wildcats held a 35-29 lead with 4:23 left in the game. At this point, Briarwood coach Lorie Kerley initiated a full-court press.

The press didn’t work initially, as Buie broke it and found Sanyia Floyd wide open on the other end for a layup. Baker then hit a clutch three on the other end to make it 37-32, Shelby County with 3:50 left.

After a timeout from the Lions at 3:50, Buie broke the press again and found Dixon for another easy layup. Clara Crawford hit a layup for the Lions at the other end to make it 39-34, but Arnold responded on the other end with a layup of her own to make it 41-34 with 2:19 left. The Wildcats then called a timeout and after this, Shelby County did not score another point the rest of the game. Briarwood got a 3-pointer from Baker out of the timeout, making it 41-37 with just under two minutes left.

The Lions then had multiple chances offensively but could not capitalize. The Wildcats turned it over with 1:21 left, but Kerley missed a deep 3-pointer after a clunky possession. With just over 40 seconds left, Shelby County turned the ball over again, and Baker missed an open three to keep the score locked at 41-37.

The Wildcats called timeout with 14.7 seconds left on the clock. What happened next will be remembered by both fan bases for years to come.

Briarwood hit a layup off of a turnover with seven seconds left, cutting the lead to two. Buie was then immediately fouled on the following inbounds play. With Shelby County in the double bonus, Buie made the long walk to the free-throw line.

Buie missed both free throws, leaving the door open for the Lions to pull off a miracle finish. With 2.8 seconds left, Briarwood inbounded the ball near half-court and found Kerley in the corner.

On the play, Kerley fell to the ground due to a push in the back. The whistle was not blown, and Shelby County won after the clock hit zeros.

After the game, Phillips spoke on what the win means not only for the school, but for the city of Columbiana as a whole.

“It’s huge,” Phillips said. “It’s been since 2020, and for us to win the area tournament it’s really big for our town.”

With the win, the Wildcats’ storied season will continue in a sub-regional game on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. against Elmore County at Shelby County High School. Meanwhile, Briarwood will hit the road to face Valley on the same day at 6 p.m. in hopes of continuing its season.