BIRMINGHAM — Aliceville senior Ty’Jarian Williams sank a dramatic free throw with 3.6 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets a thrilling 44-43 win over St. Luke’s in the Class 2A boys basketball state championship on Friday.
Williams split a pair of free throws in a tie game, and his second attempt bounced high in the air before falling through to put Aliceville ahead. The Yellow Jackets then swatted away St. Luke’s inbounds pass as time expired, setting off a celebration.
It’s the first state championship for the Aliceville boys in their first-ever trip to the title game.
“It’s no secret that we’ve struggled with free throws all season,” Aliceville coach Christopher Walker said of Williams. “There have been some games where free throws won games for us, and there were some games where free throws keep it close. The competitor in him stepped up and made that free throw. He showed up.”
There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter alone as the teams went back-and-forth. St. Luke’s tied it at 43-43 with 25 seconds left on two JT Busby free throws.
But Williams cleaned up a missed layup with an offensive rebound and drew the foul with 3.6 ticks left, setting up the dramatic finish.
Jatavius Colvin led Aliceville with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Tyquan Simon added a clutch jumper in the final minute.
St. Luke’s got 20 points from Brandon Cooks and 10 rebounds from Mike Myles but couldn’t come up with one last defensive stop.
Aliceville built a 12-point lead in the second quarter before St. Luke’s rallied to cut it to 25-21 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets had to play the final minutes without Colvin, who picked up his fourth foul.
“We’ve been counted out on so much,” Walker said. “We’re a country town. We’re called the country boys today, and we’re taking (the trophy) back to the country. Today, the community is behind us in everything we do, every one supports.”
It was the first championship game appearance for Aliceville. The Yellow Jackets finished a perfect season against in-state foes at 25-1.