Montgomery Academy’s Skyler Stovall had perhaps the most accurate description of Friday’s Class 3A state championship game.

“It was a battle,” he said.

Indeed, it was.

Stovall and teammate Braden Gordon combined to score 48 points as the second-ranked Eagles fought off a gritty comeback effort by Mars Hill Bible to claim a 65-56 victory at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena. The win gave Montgomery Academy (34-2) the school’s first boys basketball title.

“These young men, all 15 of them, deserve every second of this,” MA coach Jeremy Arant said. “They have been a blessing in my life and for my family. They’ve worked their tails off. Obviously, the are super talented, but they are also great, great young men.”

The Eagles looked to be on the way to one of their trademark blowout wins in the first half. A 13-2 second-quarter run – capped by five straight points by MVP Stovall – gave Montgomery Academy a 31-14 advantage with 3:33 left before the half.

“We started to stretch it out there and, obviously, you got the feeling that it might be like some of our other games,” Arant said. “But their experience was important, and (Mars Hill senior) Eli (Pounders) was phenomenal. They controlled their team well. They were tough. It was just like they had the attitude that they were going to keep chipping away. All credit goes to them.”

Instead of folding, Mars Hill fought back.

The 6-foot-6 Pounders, playing just his third game since breaking his right wrist, was the catalyst. The senior dominated the low post and finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Panthers closed the half on a 12-0 run to get within 31-26 at the break.

“I felt like even down 17, we would come back and win,” Mars Hill coach Jeremy Pounders said. “I thought after that start we were the better team. We knew they couldn’t guard us in the halfcourt and, when we didn’t turn the ball over, we really kind of got what we wanted.”

Montgomery Academy briefly stretched the lead out to as many as nine points in the early stages of the third quarter, but each time Eli Pounders and Mars Hill responded. He scored 13 points in the third quarter, and the Panthers trailed just 47-44 heading to the fourth.

“Late in the game, it was really about defending and what we were doing defensively,” Arant said. “They did a good job and got some easy baskets. We weren’t defending and rotating well. Offensively, the message was to control it and take care of the ball. We knew if we could get them extended, we had a big advantage.”

William Mann’s layup on an assist from Pounders got Mars Hill within a point, 56-55, with 2:20 left. But Gordon responded with a short jumper, pushing the MA lead back to three and igniting a 9-0 run which finally put the game away.

“I wanted the ball,” Gordon said. “I felt like I could score on my matchup. I just wanted the ball so we could win the game.”

Stat sheet: Montgomery Academy – Stovall had 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. He was 5-of-5 from the foul line and also had 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Gordon finished with 23 on 10-of-17 shooting. He had 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Mars Hill – Winn Crook followed Pounders with 8 points.

By the numbers: MA was 27-of-63 from the field, 2-of-14 from 3 and 9-of-13 from the foul line. Mars Hill was 21-of-47 from the field, 4-of-15 from 3 and 10-of-19 from the foul line. Montgomery Academy had advantages in points in the paint (48-34), points off turnovers (29-15) and fastbreak points (24-6). Mars Hill had a 28-6 edge in bench points.

Did you know? Mars Hill was looking for its second straight state title after moving up from 2A this year.

They said it:

“This means a lot. It’s something our school has never done. All of our seniors deserved it before they went off to college.” – Gordon.

“This was our last game together. These guys love each other so much. I wanted them to soak in the moment. I wanted a picture at halfcourt to put in my house. I know it’s a red trophy, but I don’t care. These guys are going to be great husbands and great dads. The lessons they’ve learned they will take with them the rest of their lives.” – Jeremy Pounders on getting a team photo after the game.

“I have to give all the credit to God. I couldn’t have done this by myself. He put people in my life to boost me up so much. It would have been easy for me to fall on my face and give up, but I’m surrounded by so many great people.” – Eli Pounders on coming back following a broken wrist.