BIRMINGHAM — Prattville Christian leaned on its dominant frontcourt duo of Coco Thomas and Hannah Jones to win its third consecutive girls basketball state championship.
The Panthers defeated Priceville 76-59 in the Class 4A title game on Friday, moving up a classification after winning the previous two 3A crowns.
Thomas scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Jones added 23 points and a game-best 18 boards. Together they accounted for 52 points and 31 rebounds, outrebounding the entire Priceville squad.
“They meant 52 points and 31 rebounds, unbelievable,” PCA coach Jason Roberson said. “They’ve carried us for a while, production-wise, and as seniors, they were not going to be denied.”
PCA jumped out to an early lead before Priceville battled back to within two midway through the second quarter. The Panthers led 36-29 at halftime.
They seized control with a 19-2 run in the third quarter, sparked by Thomas and Jones dominating in the paint. The duo had more rebounds themselves than Priceville had defensive boards for the entire game.
“We wanted to make a statement that we would be 4A state champs, and we came to this game with that mindset,” Jones said.
Avery Rogers added 17 points for PCA by knocking down 5 of 11 3-pointers.
It’s the third straight championship for the Panthers, who moved up to 4A after winning the previous two in 3A.
“It’s surreal,” Roberson said. “We never said we were going to win three in a row. We just wanted to win one. It’s a credit to these ladies and how they’ve stepped up. This one is new. We’re proud to embrace the ability to play at a higher level. It feels good to be a 4A state champion.”
Thomas was named tournament MVP after finishing with 49 points and 32 rebounds over two Final Four games.
For Priceville, Gracin Prater scored 14 points and Lauren and Leslie Hames added 10 apiece. But the Bulldogs had no answer for Thomas and Jones in the paint in the second half.