This is an opinion piece.

The month of February is one of my favorite times of the year.

Who doesn’t love Valentine’s Day? It has a special significance for me as it is also the day I asked my wife to marry me.

It’s also the one month I get to concentrate almost exclusively on high school basketball. (There are some exceptions like National Signing Day and coaches being hired, of course).

But the main focus is tournament time – from the regionals that are happening right now until the state finals in Birmingham in a couple of weeks. This week, I started thinking about my favorite final four moments from the past decade. There have been a lot of them.

Here are a few that came to mind pretty quickly:

JD for 3

Former Alabama star and current NBA player JD Davison made one of the most memorable shots in Alabama high school basketball history on Feb. 28, 2020. With his Calhoun team tied with Barbour County late in the Class 2A championship game, Davison dribbled out most of the final minute and then drilled a 3-pointer right in front of press row for a 64-61 victory.

“Mostly what I was thinking was the player guarding me had four fouls,” said Davison, who finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. “I was planning to drive. Instead, I just stepped back and shot it with confidence.”

Bears at the buzzer

The Plainview boys have won four state titles since 2018, but the wins over Hillcrest-Evergreen in 2018 and Westminster Christian in 2019 were particularly memorable.

They both came on last-second shots from the same player, Caden Millican.

In 2018, Millican drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing on the final play to give the Bears a 78-75 OT win over Hillcrest-Evergreen.

In 2019, he converted on a backdoor layup just before the buzzer for a 54-52 win over Westminster.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s just unbelievable; I don’t believe it, myself,” Millican said. “The ball found me at the right time. I was wide open. I just had to shoot it.”

Spartan Invasion

The Mountain Brook boys have won six state titles since 2013.

Current Samford head coach Bucky McMillan led the team to the first five before current coach Tyler Davis continued the streak in 2021.

The Spartan streak includes three titles each in Class 6A and 7A.

Mountain Brook’s run in that first year was memorable because it was really the first time we saw the neon invasion of Legacy Arena. Mountain Brook fans were everywhere in their neon shirts, supporting their team.

When they beat Blount the next year for the championship in a tight game, I was forced to don one of those shirts after losing a friendly wager with my friend and former AL.com colleague Jeff Sentell.

Good save, DeWayne

This won’t make the highlight list for most people, but it’s clearly on mine.

During last year’s Class 7A final between Hoover and Central-Phenix City, I was sitting on press row on the court along with my friend Josh Bean.

We in the media often have to react quickly if the ball bounces our way because we are only a few feet away from the action. That is mostly a good thing, but it can also be scary.

In this case, a loose ball came toward us and with it a hard-charging DeWayne Brown.

Brown is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound center. I’m a 5-foot-11, 190-pound, 56-year-old sportswriter. With Brown coming at me seemingly full speed, there was little I could do but brace for impact. I could envision a spear coming my way that would make Roman Reigns proud.

Instead, Brown stopped on a dime at the press table, and I was spared.

Thanks, DeWayne. If Hoover reaches another semifinal or final this year, I’m going to try to be more prepared.

Hello, Mr. Holt

Last year was our introduction to the phenomenal Caleb Holt.

The Buckhorn star, then a 15-year-old freshman, scored 32 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in his team’s 65-56 Class 6A title game win over Mountain Brook.

“He’s an unbelievable talent, and the way the other players compete around him puts a strain on your team,” Mountain Brook coach Tyler Davis said. “We tried to take him away, but he’s a generational talent. What can I say? That’s a Lebron James, Michael Jordan performance.”

Holt scored 33 points and had 14 rebounds in a semifinal win over McGill-Toolen, giving him 65 points and 32 rebounds for two games worth of work in Birmingham.

An improbable hero

Former Spain Park star and current Alabama player Sarah Ashlee Barker was named the state’s Miss. Basketball in 2020.

However, she found herself on the bench with five fouls in the final minutes of that year’s Class 7A title game against rival Hoover.

No worries.

With her team clinging to a slim lead, freshman Haley Russell made two clutch free throws with 25.1 seconds left to seal a 47-44 Jaguar win.

“I was like, ‘This is my chance. This is my opportunity,’” Russell said after the game.

“You stepped up,” Barker interjected.

Hazel Green’s six-pack

It doesn’t qualify as one particular moment, but Hazel Green’s current streak of six straight girls state titles has to make the list.

Tim Miller’s team defeated Huffman 53-40 a year ago to become the first boys or girls team to win six straight state titles.

“It’s never easy and this never gets old, getting to this point and getting a championship,” Miller said. “I’m so proud of what these ladies had to go through this season with the injuries and all.”

During the unprecedented title run, the Trojans have defeated Ramsay (56-54 in OT), Opelika (55-31), McAdory (40-34), Carver-Montgomery (49-41) and Oxford (55-38) in title games in addition to last year’s win over Huffman.

Miller has won 10 state titles overall with three championships at Bob Jones and one at Jeff Davis prior to his six at Hazel Green.

There are sure to be more memorable moments at Legacy Arena this year, and I can’t wait to be there when the tournament opens on Feb. 26.

Thought for the Week

“So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” – Luke 11:9-10

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.