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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

TUSCALOOSA – The Helena Huskies walked out of Titletown with a title of their own as they came in first place in their Thanksgiving tournament.

Helena defeated the Benjamin Russell Wildcats 55-54 in the finals of the Jaguar Thanksgiving Jam on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Northridge High School to complete a perfect 3-0 week.

Before that, the Huskies kicked off the week in dominant fashion with a 50-20 win over Linden. Helena held the Patriots scoreless in the first quarter and then rolled on offense, building out a 25-4 halftime lead that paved the way for the 30-point victory.

Three different Huskies recorded 10 points as Jaterrica Moody, Amari Grant and Mallory Rhodes all reached double figures. Gracelyn Ambrose and Isabel Heintz each scored six points and Destiny Brashears had five points in the win.

Helena’s dominant ways continued in the semifinals against the Orange Beach Makos on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The Makos edged out the Huskies for an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter before Helena’s defense rolled from there, only allowing 11 more points in the final three quarters after surrendering 11 in the first eight minutes.

That paved the way for a 42-22 win and punched the Huskies’ ticket into the finals.

Grant led the team with nine points, Hannah Satterfield scored eight points, Lauren Smith had seven points and Heintz earned six points.

Helena then faced the biggest test of the tournament in the finals as they took on Benjamin Russell.

The teams came out of the gate evenly matched as they were tied at 16-16 at the end of one quarter of play. Satterfield led the way with eight points in the first while Heintz added five of her own.

The close nature continued into the second quarter, but this time, the Wildcats got a slight edge. Ben Russell outscored the Huskies 9-8 in a much more defensive quarter to take a 25-24 lead into the halftime break.

Helena needed a spark to grab the momentum in the third quarter, and Grant provided just that.

After going scoreless in the opening half, she scored 12 points in the third quarter to help the Huskies retake the lead. Moody got into double figures to help Helena score 19 points in the third and go up 43-35 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats didn’t go down without a fight, hitting multiple shots from the field while consistently hitting free throws down the stretch.

However, Helena kept pace on the other end of the floor to hold on for the 1-point victory and take the tournament title.

Grant led the Huskies with 17 points, Satterfield scored 14 points, Heintz earned 12 points and Moody joined them in double figures with 10 points.

After a six-day break, the 5-1 Huskies will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. on the road when they visit the Gardendale Rockets.