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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

HOOVER – The Spain Park Jaguars came out on top in the tournament they hosted, the Craft Burger Jag Challenge.

The girls played a dominant style of basketball all tournament, with a potent offense and stellar defense combining to form an unstoppable force. Spain Park beat the Corner Yellow Jackets 45-21, the Cornerstone Eagles 38-30 and the Carver-Birmingham Rams 40-22 in the championship game.

The Jaguars got off to a slow start in their first game against Corner, scoring zero points in the first quarter. However, their defense stood firm, only giving up five points in the period. The second period was more favorable for Spain Park as it outscored the Yellow Jackets 16-8 behind seven points from Nylah Calhoun.

The third and fourth quarter is where the Jaguars asserted their dominance, outscoring Corner 10-6 in the third and 19-2 in the fourth. Ava Leonard was the only player to score in double figures, scoring 10 points in the paint.

Spain Park’s second matchup against Cornerstone was much closer, only winning by eight. The Jaguars scored 11 in both the first and second quarter, and scored eight points in both the third and fourth quarter.

The Eagles’ scoring was more diverse, and their lack of consistency was to their detriment. They scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but scored eight, seven and four points in the first three quarters, respectively.

Ava Leonard once again led the way for Spain Park, scoring 12 of the team’s 38 points in the game. She was once again the only Jaguar to reach double figures.

The final contest was more one-sided, as Spain Park cruised to the championship title.

It wasn’t Leonard but Tori Flournoy who paced the Jaguars. She scored 16 points in the game, hitting five three-pointers.

The game started off with a bang, as Spain Park went on a dominant run and led 13-0 headed to the second quarter. Carver-Birmingham bounced back in the second period, outscoring the Jaguars 9-8. Spain Park clawed out a victory thanks to an 11-7 third quarter scoring margin and an 8-6 fourth quarter scoring margin.

Up next for the Jaguars is a date with the Pelham Panthers in the new year. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3.