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Westminster OM outlasted Alabama Aerospace and Aviation to claim the area championship as the Knights will host both the boys and girls sub-regionals for the first time in school history. (Contributed/Brandon Robbins)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The Westminster School at Oak Mountain Knights faced their second-straight weekend of back-to-back area tests, and just like the first one, they passed with flying colors.

As a result, Westminster OM is the champion of Class 2A, Area 9 for boys basketball after defeating the Holy Family Catholic Tornadoes 75-15 on Friday, Jan. 31 and the Alabama Aerospace and Aviation Jets 56-51 on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Berry Middle School.

In the first game of the weekend against Holy Family, the Knights defense dominated early and often, allowing just three points in the first quarter.

Westminster carried that momentum into an offensive explosion in the opening period. Clayton Conner knocked down a trio of 3-pointers as he scored 11 points in the first and Currin Carter hit a pair of deep shots himself while scoring 10 points.

Canaan Hill added in seven points as the Knights dropped 34 points in the first quarter to go up 34-3 after the first quarter.

The scoring pace dramatically slowed down from there, but the damage was done. Seven different Westminster players combined for 14 points in the second quarter while the defense surrendered just four points during that stretch.

Conner and Hill continued their strong first halves as the Knights increased their lead to 48-7 at the halftime break.

With the game well in hand, Saddler Smith, Drake Oliver and Deacon Brown got chances to make an impact after not scoring in the entire first half. They helped fuel the offense in the third ahead of another balanced effort in the fourth quarter where six Westminster players scored.

In the end, the Knights walked away with a commanding 60-point victory to book their place in sub-regionals.

Conner led Westminster in scoring with 15 points while Hill and Carter joined him in double figures with 12 points apiece. Smith scored nine points, Davis Franklin had six points and Sam Carter and Thomas Bradley each finished with four points on a night where 12 Knights scored at least one point.

With a spot in sub-regionals secured, the only things left to be determined were if Westminster would host the first round or walk into it with a championship trophy in hand. To find that out, the Knights would need to take down Alabama Aerospace and Aviation.

Sam Lipperd led the way for the Knights early on, scoring six points while Currin Carter scored his team’s first 3-pointer of the night. Westminster just managed to outpace the Jets for an 11-9 lead going into the second, but the visitors had other plans in the second quarter.

Both offenses roared to life in the final eight minutes of the half, but Alabama Aerospace and Aviation got the edge thanks to 21 points in the second. Thomas Bailey scored multiple baskets from the field and Franklin and Lipperd converted their chances at the free throw line to keep it close, but the Jets went into the break with a 30-27 lead.

Franklin led the response in the third quarter as he scored six points to get him into double figures alongside Lipperd, who had four points in the third. Currin Carter, Conner and Flemning continued to make the most of their free throw chances to grab hold of the lead.

The Knights outscored Alabama Aerospace and Aviation by four in the third quarter and went into the fourth quarter with a slim 46-45 advantage.

Free throws continued to be the name of the game in the fourth quarter as Currin Carter continued to make his way to the charity stripe and went 4-for-7 on his chances. Sam Carter and Franklin each hit a free throw, and Franklin also scored a crucial basket to go with Hill’s first field goal of the game.

On the other side, the Jets went just 2-for-9 from the free throw line in the fourth, and that allowed the Knights to hold on to the lead and grab the championship.

Franklin led Westminster with 15 points while Lipperd had 12 points and Currin Carter scored 10 points to make it three Knights in double figures. David Sellers scored six points and Bailey had four points in the win.

Westminster will host the winner of Tuesday, Feb. 4’s Area 12 title game between Southeastern and Susan Moore in the Class 2A sub-regionals on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at Berry Middle School to decide who advances to the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State.

This will be the first year in school history when the boys and girls both hosted sub-regionals.

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