BIRMINGHAM – Mars Hill Bible’s boys’ basketball team took control in the second half and earned a 63-51 victory over Houston Academy in Tuesday’s AHSAA Class 3A semifinals at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.
With the game tied at 31-all, Mars Hill took control with a 15-2 run in the third quarter, thanks in part to two technical fouls whistled on Houston Academy, and pushed the lead to as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.
“These guys either love adversity or love about making me have a heart attack,” Mars Hill coach Jeremy Pounderssaid. “The more difficult the challenge, they more they thrive.”
The victory sends Mars Hill (24-8) into Friday’s Class 3A championship game, with tip-off set for 2:15 p.m. Mars Hill won the 2024 Class 2A championship and moved up to Class 3A this season.
Sam Sweatt led Mars Hill with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. Winn Crook added 13 points and nine rebounds, Tate Barrier made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, and Brooks Campbellscored 11 points.
| Kadyn Mitchell led Houston Academy, coached by Ron Watson, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, andGabe Glover added 17 points.
The game was tied at 11-all at the end of the first quarter before Mars Hill built a 27-24 halftime lead. The Panthers’ 15-2 run in the third quarter broke the game open.
“The two technical fouls helped them,” Watson said. “The second one was one me. I was kind of backing up my player. … We talked about valuing the ball. We didn’t value the ball as much as we should have in the second half.”
Houston Academy (19-5) had won 13 straight before Tuesday’s loss.
Mars Hill won its first state basketball championship last season, after finishing as runner-up in 1996, 2001 and 2022, and can now make it two in a row.
“We’re not defending anything,” Pounders said. “We haven’t won anything (yet). This is a new year.”
Of note, Mars Hill also defeated Houston Academy 50-43 in the Class 3A football championship game at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium, which sits just a few blocks from Legacy Arena, in December 2024.
Semifinal games in Classes 3A and 4A continue Tuesday at the 105th AHSAA State Basketball Championships. The semifinals in Classes 6A and 5A are set for Wednesday. The 7A semifinals are Thursday, and championship games begin with Class 1A girls’ and boys’ on Thursday afternoon. Championship games in Classes 2A, 3A and 4A are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, and the state tourney concludes on Saturday, March 1 with title games in Classes 5A, 6A and 7A.
All championship games and the Class 7A boys’ and girls’ semifinal games will be live streamed over the NFHS Network and televised live over the Alabama Public Television network with WOTM TV producing the contests. The semifinal games will be live streamed over the NFHS Network as well.
The AHSAA Radio Network will also air live broadcasts of all semifinal and championship games over its radio and internet audio network.
Tickets are available each day at the BJCC box office or through Ticketmaster.
