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Florala ran into a tough battle with Covenant Christian in the AHSAA State Finals and fell short, 47-26, in a 1A Boys semi-final game at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena on Monday, Feb. 27.

Head Coach Troy Turman was proud of his team for the effort they gave.

“It was a tough game today for our young team. We accomplished a lot but didn’t finish. I’m proud of the team, but this is motivation for next year. Hopefully, we will be hungry to get back again. We would like to thank everyone for all their support,” Turman said.

The Eagles improved to 30-3 on the season and advanced to face Oakwood Academy in the 1A championship game. The Wildcats closed the year with a final record of 23-8.

CAC opened the contest on an 8-0 run. Henry Glover and Trey Kellogg hit back-to-back three-pointers before Regan Lawson converted a layup with 5:06 left in the opening period. FHS cut the deficit down to 8-3 when Dalton Jackson converted a three-point play. Andrew Brackin made a pair of baskets, and Christian Greasham buried a jumper to make the score 12-7 after one.

Covenant Christian extended the lead to 19-7 with three-pointers from Kellogg and Brackin along with a free throw by Cayden Smith in the second. Jackson and Rayshon Coleman hit foul shots before Greasham brought Florala within single digits at 19-11. Kellogg pushed the lead back to 10, and Jalen Chandler closed out the first half with four straight points for a 25-11 halftime lead.

CAC continued its strong defensive effort and only allowed four points in the third. Chandler and Regan Lawson combined for the offense’s 13 points. Coleman went two-of-two from the charity stripe in the frame. Greasham made a jumper with two seconds left for FHS and trimmed the deficit to 38-15 after three.

Following an opening layup from Brackin, Coleman hit two free throws and sliced the gap to 40-17 with 7:31 to go. Chandler had a dunk at the 6:47 mark as the Eagles took their largest lead of the game. Greasham earned four points, while Coleman collected three during a 7-2 run that brought the Wildcats to 45-24. Jackson scored the last bucket of the game from either side with 1:20 remaining.

Greasham was the top scorer for Florala with 10 points and was followed by Coleman and Jackson who each earned eight. Chandler led Covenant Christian with 14 points.