Fox’s fourth quarter heroics give Spain Park area win over Helena

Published 9:20 am Saturday, January 18, 2025

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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – Backed by fourth-quarter success and an abundance of energy, the Spain Park Jaguars stole an area victory on the road against the Helena Huskies.

Spain Park defeated Helena in a tight 51-48 battle, securing the win with an explosive fourth quarter on Friday, Jan. 17 at Helena High School, especially from Sam Fox.

On a night where a win was crucial for both teams, the Jags saw the arrow of success point in their direction. For coach DJ Black, he was pleased with how things turned out, but also understands that no game in the area will ever be a free pass.

“We made some timely shots, which we’ve been lacking,” Black said. “We just need some confidence going forward here. It’s a tight area, one through four, we’ll take it. No matter if you’re home or away, they’re all good teams. It’s going to be a grind every night so I’m just glad to come out on a good end. We played a tough schedule, so to get some confidence hopefully rolling into the end of the season here is great.”

The first quarter got going in a way that saw neither team take early control, despite three 3s from Jags star Riley Kent. The players were flying across the court, making plays on both sides of the ball throughout.

That was until the Huskies finally secured control with a made basket from senior Torrey Ward, who got fouled on the shot and made the ensuing free throw to tie the score at nine each.

A couple of possessions later, Helena got the ball to Denton McDonald in the corner, who hit a 3-pointer and gave his team the lead. That momentum was added to even more when Kevin Pinkard hit a 3-point shot of his own to help make it a six-point advantage.

Ultimately, the first quarter ended in the Huskies leading 15-11, but the chaos had only just begun.

Spain Park began the second by obtaining a six-point run thanks to free throws from Johnathan Fonbah and shots from Garrett Gorman and Kent, making it 17-15 in favor of the Jags.

From there, things continued to grow more physical in a defensive stalemate. Each team traded jabs with two-point baskets before trading free throw opportunities, ending the half with a 21-20 score that saw Helena in the lead.

Coming out of the break, the two teams continued to trade free throws, but after Spain Park was forced to sit Tommy Morrison with four fouls in the third, things opened up for both offenses to make moves.

With the score at 24-23 in favor of the Jags, the Huskies went to Nathan Reid for a two-point shot. In return, Spain Park saw Fonbah and Walker Coxhead each drain big shots to give it a 29-25 lead. 

McDonald then hit a 3-pointer to bring the difference back to one point. Harrison Stewart hit a mid-range jumper to extend the lead again for the Jags, but Reid tied things up once again at 31.

Cash Gallahan ended the quarter splitting free throw opportunities and creating a one-point cushion for the Huskies.

However, even though it was anyone’s game for the taking, Spain Park’s Fox took matters into his own hands.

With the score tied at 34, Fox pulled up to the top of the paint where he performed a dribble hesitation move before hitting a mid-range shot. He then followed that up on the next Jags possession with a 3-point shot from the top of the key, making it a 39-34 ball game.

This was the spark that Spain Park was looking for, and Fox was not done there. Later on with a six-point lead, Fox got to the top of the key again before hitting another big 3-pointer, increasing the lead to nine points.

While the victory could be seen in the distance, things were not over. Thanks to extensive defensive pressure and solid shots at the free throw line, Helena pulled within one point thanks to a Nate Ferguson inside shot through traffic.

Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Huskies, the Jags kept feeding the ball to Fox, who was sent to the line twice and made all four of his free throws, helping to secure the 51-48 win.

Black was inspired by Fox’s performance, but noted that this needs to be a theme for the rest of the season as Spain Park nears tournament time.

“We need somebody in these games to step up and make some shots, and when that happens, we usually win,” Black said. “(Fox) did it within what we do. It was rhythm shots, and that’s what we’ve been telling these guys, ‘Shoot rhythm shots.’ We shoot a bunch of 3s. Unfortunately we were missing a bunch of 3s, so if they start going in, we’ll be a tough out.”

Stewart led the Jags in scoring on the night with 15 points, as most of those came in the first quarter alone. Fox followed right behind him with 12 of his own, all coming in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Fonbah put up nine on the day, while his brother, Josh Fonbah and Kent each scored four.

For Helena, Ward and Joseph King put up double figures, each with 10 points for the game. Pinkard was right behind them with nine, while McDonald posted eight. Reid also racked up six points, and Ferguson tallied four.

Spain Park improves to 9-16 for the season after suffering back-to-back losses, while also getting to 2-3 in the area. Even though it is in a tight battle for area seeding, it will turn its focus to a non-area game against the Prattville Lions, which is set for Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. at Spain Park High School.

As for the Huskies, they drop to 12-9 on the year and 2-3 in the area. Helena will also prepare for a non-area game, as it takes on the Hueytown Golden Gophers on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at Helena High School.