Story by Shannon Allen shannonl@southerntorch.com
BIRMINGHAM — The 2023-24 Plainview girls basketball team will be remembered as the best one in school history, a group that never blinked while playing the toughest schedule the Lady Bears (31-6) have ever faced.
Four of Plainview’s six losses came to State champions — two to 4A champ Good Hope, one to 7A champ Hoover and the final loss to Trinity Presbyterian of Montgomery in the 3A State Tournament championship game.
Maddie Smith, Francie Morris and Mya Moskowitz combined for 39 points to power the Wildcats to a 48-40 win Friday afternoon, March 1 at the BJCC Legacy Arena. The Wildcats claimed their second straight 3A crown.
The trio also spearheaded Trinity’s stingy defensive effort, which limited the Lady Bears to 34.9 percent shooting from the field, including 5-of-23 from the 3-point stripe.
The Wildcats (27-6) held Plainview’s outstanding freshman sharpshooter Sawyer Kate Hulgan to four points, including 0-for-2 from 3-point range. Hulgan hit eight 3s and scored 28 points in a State semifinal rout of Cottage Hill Christian.
Trinity also limited Plainview’s Lauren Jimmerson to three points after she netted 17 against Cottage Hill.
“A great bunch of girls … all 15 of them are great kids,” Plainview head coach Luke Griggs said. “They’ve done everything that’s been asked of them from October 17 until now.
“This game’s on me — it ain’t on them. The game plan wasn’t good enough. I’ll have to get better in the future to get us over the top.
“Just super proud of these girls. These seniors will be truly missed. They’re going to be great citizens one day and just great role models.”
The Wildcats led 9-6 after a quarter and stretched it to 27-17 at intermission. They opened the second half with a 13-0 run, building a 40-17 advantage, their largest of the game.
Trinity’s defense held Plainview scoreless for more than eight minutes during the second and third quarters. Gracie Rowell hit a 3-pointer with 2:26 left in the second, and the Lady Bears didn’t score again until Rowell sank a 3 with 2:23 remaining in the third. That basket trimmed it to 40-20.
The Wildcats led 40-24 at the final rest stop.
“Coach [Blake] Smith does a great job,” Griggs said of Trinity’s defense. “We’ve seen a lot of face guarding on our gunners. They’re not crazy. When you’ve got two girls shooting at a high rate and a high volume, you’ve got to stop them, of course.
“We figured it was coming and they did a great job. They were very athletic, and it was hard to get away from them.”
Plainview mounted a furious rally in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit to 42-34 on Kami Sanders’ layup with 2:41 left. Moskowitz’s 3 with 1:34 on the clock made it 45-34 and curbed the Lady Bears’ momentum.
Morris converted a free throw and Moskowitz hit a pair of charity shots in the final 42 seconds to help Trinity close out the victory. Rowell swished a 3 with a second left, shaving it to 48-40.
“Coming into the game we knew they had some really good guards, some high-level guards, so we didn’t know if we could really run and trap, and it kind of got away from us,” Griggs said.
“About halfway through the third quarter we said the heck with it, we’re just going to play like we’ve been playing all year, we don’t care how good their guards are, and I think we were more comfortable doing that.
“So, maybe if we had done that from the start we could have come out differently, but that’s all on me. The girls did exactly what was asked of them.”
Rowell netted 10 of her game-high 19 points in the fourth period. She sank 5-of-9 treys on the afternoon.
Sanders posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Graidin Haas contributed two points and five boards, and Ali Price scored two.
For Trinity, Smith closed with 15 points and four steals. Morris racked up 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Moskowitz had 11 points and seven boards.
The Wildcats outscored Plainview 16-3 in points off turnovers.
Plainview made its first appearance in the State Tournament finals. It was the Lady Bears’ third trip to the Final Four.
“It don’t matter about the color on that map we got, whether it’s blue or red, these girls are champions,” Griggs said. “Win or lose, these are really, really good girls, and I’m super proud of them and I love them.”
The All-State Tournament Team featured Sanders, Hulgan, Maddie Smith (MVP), Morris, Moskowitz and Clements’ Tay Tay Farrar.
