Spain Park holds off Vestavia Hills for one-point road win

Published 6:08 pm Wednesday, November 13, 2024

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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

VESTAVIA HILLS – The Spain Park Jaguars used a strong start to the game to hold on down the stretch for a big road win.

Spain Park defeated Vestavia Hills 63-62 on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Vestavia Hills High School for a win away from home against a Class 7A opponent.

Josh Fonbah was an offensive force throughout the game, scoring 24 points for the Jags, but he had some help in the opening quarter from Sam Fox.

Fox nailed a pair of 3-pointers to score eight points in the first quarter, while Fonbah also joined him with eight points off three field goals and a pair of made free throws.

Combined with a Tommy Morrison 3-pointer, Spain Park scored 19 points in the first quarter. On the other end of the floor, the Jags kept the Rebels at bay and allowed just eight points from the field and 13 points overall, which gave the visitors a 19-13 lead after the first quarter.

Fonbah continued to lead the offense as he scored seven points in the second to get into double figures. Riley Kent added four points of his own to help Spain Park score 17 points in the quarter.

However, the Vestavia offense started to click as Adam Barksdale scored seven points in an 18-point second-quarter effort. That chipped in the Jags lead as they went into halftime up 36-31.

The Rebels defense limited the scoring to just Fonbah, Fox and Harrison Stewart in the third, but Fonbah still scored 10 points in the quarter alone while Stewart knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to score eight points in the third.

Spain Park outscored Vestavia Hills 21-17 during the third quarter to take a 57-48 lead into the final eight minutes.

From there, Barksdale took over and drained a trio of 3-pointers as he scored 13 of his team’s 15 points in the fourth. He finished with a game-high 32 points.

That helped the Rebels draw closer and make it a tight game down the stretch, especially after the Jags scored just nine points in the fourth quarter. However, Spain Park held on for the one-point victory and improved to 2-0 on the season with a win over a tough Class 7A foe.

Fonbah led the Jags with 24 points, and he was joined in double figures by Stewart, who scored 14 points, and Fox, who earned 11 points. Garrett Gorman and Morrison each scored five points apiece and Kent had four points, all of which came in the second quarter.