Skyline Boys, Class 1A Northeast Basketball Tournament Regional Champions
The Skyline varsity boys are pictured with the Class 1A Northeast Regional championship trophy.
By Cinthia Rico
JACKSONVILLE – The Skyline Vikings defeated Spring Garden 58-51 in Monday’s Class 1A boys final at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Bryant Kennemer led the Vikings with a game-high 23 points, Zeier Golden contributed 12 points, Jayton Prince added 11, Scott York finished with 8, Jake Cloud had 3, and Will Avans chipped in one for Skyline.
Skyline basketball head coach Craig McGill, who led both the boys and girls teams to the region finals, said he thought their game plan was great.
“At the end of the day, these guys wanted it, and I am so happy for them,” said McGill.
The fifth-ranked Vikings kicked off with a strong start, building a 14-9 opening period lead behind an 8-1 run and Zaier Golden’s two 3-point shots in the final seconds.
Spring Garden answered with 12 points in the second, but Skyline’s Scott York reclaimed the lead with a 23-21 lead entering the break.
Increasing their output in the second half, Skyline scored 22 points in the third quarter thanks to the play of Scott York, Zeier Golden, and Bryant Kennemer.
The Vikings held a 45-35 advantage in the third period. Despite Spring Gardens’ effort in the final frame, Skyline held steady.
In the final three minutes of play, the Panthers mounted a 7-0 run to close the gap, but Kennemer and Will Avans extended the Vikings’ lead to 55-46.
Skyline put the game away with a pair of FT shots from Kennemer to clinch the Vikings first region title in over two decades.
With the win, the Vikings advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1994.
It’s been 30 years since we’ve been to the Final Four. We don’t want to just go down there; we want to go and have a chance to win,” said McGill. “We know what’s at stake—I am super happy for these guys, happy for our school, and happy for our community.”
Bryant Kennemer was named tournament MVP, and teammates Scott York and Zeier Golden were named to the all-tournament team along with Spring Garden’s Jake and John Welsh and Faith Christian’s Carson Harris.
Skyline will face No. 2 Georgiana in a Class 1A state semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Monday at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
The all-tournament team was comprised of Skyline’s Zeier Golden, MVP Bryant Kennamer , Scott York, Spring Garden’s Jake and John Welsh and Faith Christian’s Carson Harris.
Editor’s Note: The Class 1A State Semifnial game was not completed before press time; look for coverage in an upcoming edition the North Jackson Press.
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