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The Calhoun School Tigers ended their basketball season on Feb. 26 with a matchup against Covenant Christian during the Final 4 round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) state finals. 

The team played down to the very last seconds of the game, showcasing both teamwork and skill, and ending with a final score of 57-54.

Jay Sansom, assistant coach of the Tigers, said that he enjoyed the season and was proud of the team’s performance to the end. 

“Those boys played hard and with effort,” Sansom said. “They played for each other. They did not want the seniors to go home without a ring. Our team really believed in themselves and each other. They really believed that we could make the run that we did and we had so many players step up to help the team. Tyler Robertson, Taylor Robertson, Kentavious Loftin, and Carmello Brown really had an impact this season. We had so many guys step up and play bigger and better. It was really a team effort.”

The team steadily kept up with their opponent, ending the first quarter with a score of 16-12 and the second quarter at 34-26. After the half, the team was able to gain momentum and ended the third quarter with 43-37 before closing the game with a final score of 57-54. 

Top scorers for the game were Taylor Robertson who led with 16 points. The next top scorer was Calhoun’s 3-point specialist Kentavius Loftin who scored 14 of the Tigers’ points. Loftin was followed by Brenterris Managan and Tyler Robertson who scored 13 and 11 points respectively. 

Sansom said that he looks forward to next season for the Tigers and hopes their Finals experience, as well as their season, will help them make it to next year’s playoffs. 

“I’m most excited about continuing to build on the team and the chemistry our players have on and off the court,” Sansom said. “We do also need to get better at fundamentally reading the defense, knocking down shots and boxing out. Even with that, it’s obvious that the team improved so much, both defensively and with trusting in each other and believing in each other.”

The Tigers held a 21-7 record during the regular season and became both the Class 1A Area 5 Champions and the Class 1A Regional Champions.