On Saturday, the Panthers opened the 2009-10 season by hosting Class 5A Talladega, a team that finished as Class 5A state runner-up in 2008.
Spring Garden held its own against the Lady Tigers, and held on for a 50-46 win.
Not bad for a team who’s had only nine days of practice since the end of volleyball season.
“We just played real fundamental basketball tonight,” Austin said. “It was very fun to watch and very fun to coach. It’s a great energy booster to begin the season. We’ve just got to make sure we maintain that.
“They were probably over our heads. We could have gotten beat and played well and still be about as happy as we are right now.”
As Austin said, Spring Garden (1-0) was sound in its fundamentals. The Panthers out-rebounded Talladega (0-2) 24-14. They held the Tigers to just three offensive boards.
Offensively, Spring Garden connected on seven 3-pointers. The Panthers also hit 15-of-17 free throws.
It took almost every ounce of that for the Panthers to come out with the win.
After building as much as a 14-point lead at 37-23 off a made jumper by Tara Mullinax with 3:26 left in the third quarter, the Tigers began to rally.
They cut the Panther lead to nine at 39-30 at the end of the third and fought their way to within a bucket at 48-46 off a made jumper from Shacara Reynolds with four seconds left in the game. Reynolds was also fouled on the play by Spring Garden’s Heather Smart, sending her to the line for the bonus. Reynolds intentionally missed the free throw to give her team a chance at a rebound, but Mullinax secured the ball and was fouled by the Tigers’ Marriah Higgins with two seconds on the clock.
Mullinax calmly hit a pair of free throws for the final.
“They kind of put the squeeze on us,” Austin said. “We kind of made some inexperienced mistakes here and there, but it’s what I wanted. I wanted to see that. It put a little pressure on us.
“They (Talladega) should cause some stuff to happen with their size and speed. When they did it, we handled it well. We knew it was coming, and when it did come, we didn’t totally panic. We did make some boo-boos, but it was a very good learning game for us. It’s a game tape where we can watch the last four minutes and learn a lot from it. This might be one of the most meaningful games of the season.”
Mullinax led all scorers with 26 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
“I think Tara has really elevated her game. She’s turned into a player, and she was fun to watch tonight,” Austin said. “She looked real composed and in control. She made all the shots she should have made and made a couple that were tough shots. She stepped to the free-throw line and hit free throws. I thought she was in charge of the game from beginning to end.”
Austin also praised point guard Jordan Sides for her performance. Sides, who had battled bronchitis all week, finished with 16 points, including three 3-pointers.
“Losing Hannah Hutcheson (from last year’s team) and fighting to find a point guard, Jordan really transitioned into it nicely tonight. I’m very proud of her,” Austin said. “She’s been sick all week, fighting off bronchitis and fatigue. I really wouldn’t have given you a penny for her being able to last as long as she lasted tonight. She sucked it up and dug down deep and played a heck of a ball game tonight.”
Katy Rickman added six points off two 3-pointers for the Panthers. Shelby Malone posted six boards and two points.
Marie McAbee led Talladega with 21 points. Reynolds added seven points and Jalissa Johnson finished with five points.
Spring Garden led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter and built a 25-17 lead at the break.
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