Ider girls basketball takes down Mars Hill Bible to win Class 2A state title
BIRMINGHAM — Ider girls basketball took down defending state champions Mars Hill Bible to claim the Class 2A state title with a 64-58 win at Legacy Arena on Friday.
It's the Hornets first state title since they won the 1985 Class 3A state title. It also means that six of the last seven Class 2A titles were won by a team from Area 15, with Pisgah winning five straight before Mars Hill won last season.
It was a back-and-forth first half, with a buzzer beater by Mars Hill Bible giving them a three-point lead. Both teams shot 40% from the field and Ider shot 50% from 3-point range in the first half. The lead changed five times in the first half. Mars Hill's Belle Hill brought them back within two with a minute to go.
Kadence Rolston had 17 first-half points, leading both teams as no one else reached double digits. Mars Hill controlled the game in the third quarter but a late Ider run and buzzer beater gave them a two-point lead. Ider controlled most of the fourth quarter but Mars Hill's Belle Hill brought them back within two with a minute to go.
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Makinley Traylor led the way with 22 points and five assists for the Hornets. Kennzie Smith added 14 points while Cambree Chapman had 11 points and five rebounds. For the Panthers, Rolston slowed down in the second half, in part to foul trouble and finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Belle Hill, a highly touted eighth grader with Division 1 offers, finished with 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting with seven rebounds.
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Ider girls basketball claims Class 2A state title with win vs. Mars Hill
