The Homewood Patriot basketball team won a thriller against the Huffman Vikings on Friday at Jacksonville State University.
The Patriots used a stellar defensive performance and consistent offensive power to beat Huffman 60-47 to advance to the regional finals.
Homewood (24-8) rode a four-game winning streak heading into the matchup, including the come-from-behind victory against Parker in the area championship game last Thursday and a thrilling sub-regional victory against Shades Valley last Saturday.
The first quarter was all Homewood as the Patriots used a 10-0 run midway through the quarter to gain a 12-4 lead at the end of the first period.
The second quarter displayed some strength in Huffman’s offense as they got 10 points on the board. Both teams were going back and forth throughout the quarter. However, Homewood’s offense was too consistent for the Vikings as the halftime lead was 27-14 for Homewood.
Huffman showed some life at the beginning of the second half. After Homewood scored four straight to open the half, Huffman’s Ryan Gibson and Peyton Wiggins hit some key shots to bring Homewood’s lead from 31-14 down to 31-22. But Homewood’s offense, just as it had all afternoon, kept on getting points on the board. The third quarter ended with Homewood winning 45-31.
The beginning of the final period took an interesting turn as Huffman’s Jorden Collins hit back-to-back three-pointers and Peyton Wiggins hit a crucial three-point play to make it a five-point deficit for the Vikings. Homewood’s Jeremiah Gary and Latham Binkley scored huge points to swing momentum back in favor of Homewood.
The rest of the game was all Homewood as they got more points and added some more stops to cap off a gritty performance. Sending the Homewood faithful into instant celebration as the clock hit triple zero.
The victory avenged a 40-38 OT loss two years ago against Huffman in the regional semifinals.
HHS senior Will Pope said the game plan was to just run the offense smoothly getting up good shots and to stop Peyton “Peanut” Wiggins from scoring too much. Wiggins currently holds collegiate offers from Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, and Troy.
“We knew going into the game that he was gonna be a problem and that Huffman was a gritty team,” Pope said. “I feel like we did a good job limiting his points. Along with playing some good offense to get some points against their solid defense.”
Kaleb Carson led the Patriots in scoring with 13 points.
Peyton Wiggins led Huffman in scoring with 14 points.
Huffman finishes its season with a record of 13-19.
Homewood returns back to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Tuesday where they will go head to head with rivals Mountain Brook (24-7) who blew out Gardendale 62-42. A win means a trip to Legacy Arena for the Final Four, their first trip since 2016, in which they won it all.
Mountain Brook has a talented roster, including Creighton commit Ty Davis. However, HHS Head Coach Tim Shepler isn’t intimidated by this matchup for the Patriots.
“We are playing elite at the right time,” Shepler said. “I do feel our guys won’t back down from the challenge.”
The Spartans will be a tough opponent for Homewood, but if the team has shown anything this season, it’s that they are up for any obstacle thrown at them.
