By Lee Davis
One state championship could be called a miracle.
Two state championships in a row could be called a very good run.
But three state championships in five years?
Call it a dynasty, and it lives in a place that no one could have believed even a few short years ago – Mountain Brook.
The Spartans placed a third piece of championship hardware into their school’s crowded trophy case Saturday night with a 63-43 win over Auburn at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena in the Class 7A boys championship game. The game was far closer than the final score indicated, but Mountain Brook’s fourth quarter dominance over a talented Tiger team might have been a metaphor for a program that’s only getting better.
Sophomore forward Trendon Watford and junior guard Sean Elmore put up the big numbers, but Spartan coach Bucky McMillan saw the victory as a total team effort.
“Although we have the two stars up there, the key is the depth of our team,” McMillan said. “All players from number one to 13 were contributing, so in the fourth quarter we were at our strongest.”
McMillan truly believes in the team concept, but Mountain Brook probably would not have won without the superb efforts of Watford and Elmore. Watford scored 26 points and bagged 11 rebounds, although Elmore’s second half explosion may have been the thrust that put the Spartans over the top. He totaled 17 points, including 14 in the final two quarters. Elmore connected on five of eight three point attempts for the night.
His efforts turned Mountain Brook’s 23-21 halftime lead into a rout.
“Great competitors love to compete on great stages in great games,” McMillan said.
And as the coach pointed out, the Spartans weren’t a two-man show. Steady senior forward Ben McCool tallied 10 points. Additionally, the play of Mountain Brook’s defense can’t be overlooked. The Spartan defenders held Auburn center Garrison Brooks, who has already signed with Mississippi State, to only 11 points and two rebounds. The Tigers shot an anemic 19 percent from the three-point line for the game.
“We didn’t want him (Brooks) to dominate us,” McMillan said.
Mountain Brook dominated the fourth quarter by a score of 25-11, as the Spartans shot a perfect eight for eight from the floor in the final frame.
“I just had a feeling,” Elmore, tired but happy, said after the game. “We’ve been working too hard to let it get away. When we got to this game, I felt we had it in our hands. There was nothing that was going to stop us.”
Auburn’s defensive strategy may have been to concentrate on stopping Watford and daring another Spartan to pick up the scoring slack. The effort fell short at both ends, as Watford exceeded his average and Elmore produced his second-best scoring night of the season.
Another plus for Mountain Brook was the large crowd of neon-clad fans who filled the BJCC much as they had packed Spartan Arena the entire season. McMillan takes pride in the fact that his team’s support not only comes from parents and students, but also alumni and Mountain Brook residents who have no personal connections to the team.
“Our support is inspirational,” McMillan said. “People had always believed it was impossible for Mountain Brook to win a state championship in basketball. When we did, people could see that anything was possible and we could apply that to their own lives. It was about more than basketball, it was about inspiring others to pursue their dreams.”
While McMillan has been criticized for what some consider an over-confident manner, he has a strong sentimental streak. The coach gets emotional when he describes the grassroots support basketball now has in his hometown.
“I grew up here,” McMillan said. “It means a lot to drive around town and see young boys who are maybe eight or 10 years old wearing neon jerseys and playing basketball in their driveway.”
In a few years those young boys might be state champions, too.
