BIRMINGHAM – Decatur Heritage girls’ basketball coach Johnny Jones described his basic philosophy about his sport.
    “Offense won’t win championships,” said Jones. “You need defense to win. A lot of players don't want to focus on defense. We are going to guard you and be physical.”
    The Eagles (28-7) forced 22 turnovers, had 14 steals, and won the rebounding war 44-37  Monday afternoon as Decatur Heritage handed Abbeville (24-2) just its second loss of the season winning 65-34 to advance to Friday’s Class 2A state championship game. The Eagles will play the winner of Monday night’s other semifinal game featuring Pisgah and Highland Home Friday morning at the BJCC Legacy Arena at 9 a.m. in the finals.
    Genie McGhee sparked the Eagles with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots, seven steals and four assists. Leslie Hames had 19 points, Aaliyah Troup chipped in 14 points and had nine rebounds, and Bri Tyson had 10 points.
    Abbeville, coached by Darrell Brooks, was led by Gabrielle Brown, who had 13 points and seven rebounds. Ni’Diqua Hardamon had eight points and seven rebounds.
    Brooks, who has compiled a 454-140 record as girls’ basketball coach at his alma mater for the past 23 years,  said Decatur Heritage’s physicality took its toll.
“I want to say my young ladies played with a lot of heart and hustle,” Brooks said. “We played against a good basketball team, scrappy. I want to give them credit for the way they played and hustled. We didn't quite accomplish our goals but were happy with what we made.”