Spain Park’s Zach Gray already had a game-high scoring performance when he stepped to the free-throw line with three seconds remaining and a chance to secure a regional final victory for a third straight year. The 6-foot senior guard delivered the pair of free shots for his team without as much as a ding on the rim.

The seventh-ranked Jaguars put up an impeccable defensive effort, but had to fend off a furious rally for a 38-35 victory over No. 3 Huntsville in Tuesday’s boys Class 7A Northeast Regional final at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Spain Park (25-6) opened the game with a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes and eventually took a 10-2 edge midway through the period. The Panthers closed out on a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to a single bucket entering the second quarter.

An exercise in futility broke out in the second period as the Jaguars outscored Huntsville 4-1 by going 1-for-5 from the field with a pair of free throws. The Panthers were 0-for-9 in the period and 1-for-5 on the free-throw attempts.

The teams exchanged baskets to open the second half, leading to an 18-15 advantage for Spain Park, but the Jaguars broke the stalemate with a 3-pointer by Gray and a pair of free throws from Chase James. Huntsville countered with a 4-0 spurt to close the third period down 23-19 to the Jaguars.

Spain Park stretched its lead to double digits on an 8-2 run midway through the final quarter and eventually held a 33-23 lead with 1:48 remaining in the game.

The Panthers (24-9) refused to go quietly, pulling within a single point at 36-35 on a 12-3 run – powered by Ja’Mari Arnold’s seven points – in the final minute. Gray was fouled with three seconds remaining and hit both free-throw attempts to put the Jaguars up 38-35.

Huntsville had one final opportunity to tie the game and send it to overtime, but unfortunately for the Panthers, Caleb Harrison pass after the inbounds play went awry.

Did you know? Spain Park advances to a third straight state tournament final four, still seeking its first state title in program history. Huntsville falls in the regional final round for a third straight season and the fourth time in the last five seasons.

All-Tournament Team: Oak Mountain’s Matt Heiberger, Sparkman’s Karmelo Montgomery and Huntsville’s Ja’Mari Arnold and Caleb Harrison were named to the NE Regional all-tournament team. Spain Park’s Zach Gray was also selected and Sam Wright was named MVP.

By the numbers: The Jaguars shot 33.3 percent overall – 30 percent from 3-point range – and were 13-for-18 at the foul line. Defensively, Spain Park held the Panthers to a mere 25.5 percent overall and 5.3 percent (1-of-19) from beyond the arc. Huntsville was only 10-for-22 on free-throw attempts, but forced 15 turnovers that resulted in 16 points.

Stat sheet: Spain Park – Gray led the Jaguars with a game-high 14 points, adding three rebounds and Wright finished with eight points and five boards. Long had seven points and three rebounds, followed by Jared Smith with four points and eight rebounds. Huntsville – Arnold finished with a team-high 10 points, with six rebounds and Simon Walker had seven points and two boards. John David Gossett had six points, five rebounds and three steals, and Harrison had five points and a game-high nine rebounds, adding two blocks.

Coachspeak: “So proud of our guys. These guys have changed who they are and how they get things done. We started the year scoring a lot of points, but over the last couple of weeks, these guys have become tough and resilient. They learned how to win games on the last possession. It’s not always pretty and it’s not ever easy, but these guys keep grinding and finding a way to win.” – Spain Park head coach Chris Laatsch

“Not our best game, obviously. Probably the worst game we’ve played all year offensively. With that being said, we didn’t do enough to make winning plays. Didn’t make free throws, didn’t make layups and still see the character of our team show up when they could have folded several times in the game. They fought back and everybody in the building thought Huntsville might do it, Spain Park was afraid we might do it, and we gave ourselves a chance there. That’s all you can ask for. It doesn’t define them, our season or our program, and that’s the message we try to leave with them.” – Huntsville’s Christian Schweers

They said it: “It’s just great. I’m really happy and ready to go back (to Birmingham). We got to get back to work and clean up some things before next week.” – Wright

“I’m not going to lie. I’m already thinking about the next game. I’m so ready. I love this team. Great chemistry. We play for each other and we all love each other.” – Gray

What’s next? Spain Park advances to the 2023 AHSAA state tournament next week at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.