Home of the 2006 - 2007 - 2008 

3A Boys State Champions

2008 - 09 Varsity Mustangs

 

 

MUSTANG PROUD

 

MA Basketball Banquet Details

The year-end Basketball Banquet will be held at the Monrovia Church of Christ on Wednesday, April 15th at 5:30 PM.  Dinner for players and parents will be at no charge.

 

Alabama's Mr. Basketball...

Congratulations to Kerron Johnson who was named MR. BASKETBALL yesterday at an awards luncheon hosted by the Birmingham News. This honor was awarded to the best basketball player in the state of Alabama, regardless of classification, and voted on by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Kerron, followed by a deep list of city players, became the first from a private school to receive this award.  Kerron has been an inspiring role model to his fellow students and proves that hard work and dedication make a difference.  He has been a part of four straight trips to the 3A championship games, winning three state titles.  Kerron will attend Belmont University in the fall.

 

Kerron Johnson - 3A Player of the Year 

Congratulations to Kerron Johnson who has been selected by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as Class 3A Basketball Player of the Year. Kerron and other statewide winners will be honored at a special awards banquet presented by the Birmingham News.

What Really Matters...

Adapted From the Huntsville Times

The coach employed the typical warm, fuzzy platitudes. "They all played hard," he said. "They did anything we asked them to do. To see them come from basketball players to young men, it's been fun."

The father didn't find the words quite so easily.

"Wow," he said.

He accurately and simply described the day as "really tough."

Kerron Johnson Sr. is an assistant coach with the Madison Academy boys team, which lost to Leeds 72-64 in the Class 3A state championship game.

He is, more importantly, the father of Kerron Johnson, the team's ace, a senior who ended his career on Saturday.

He is also the father of Nyla Johnson, who plays for Madison Academy's girls team, which lost to T.R. Miller 53-50.

Really tough day.

"Nyla's out there and there's not a lot of control you have over that one," Kerron Sr. continued. "I was really proud of her and her team's effort.

"And to watch Kerron ..."

At that, his voice wavered. Tears welled up in his eyes.

Beautiful, honest, raw emotion. The stuff coaches may feel, but what fathers know best.

"To watch him represent himself, his family, his institution as a young man ..."

Again, his voice caught and he paused. Finally, he mustered up two more words.

"He's everything."

Wow.

If you could hug your own kid and say it all in two words, or have your father hug you again and say it all in two words, could anything sound sweeter than those?

It's the end of an era for the Mustangs. As head coach Andy Blackston said, "We've won three (state titles) in a row and we almost won again."

Best as anybody can recall, the Mustangs only lost three games to Class 3A teams in Johnson's four-year tenure as point guard.

Nyla's just a sophomore, so there remains some tradition to be served - and built upon.

"Next year," said big brother, "she'll be the man."

The Lady Mustangs, as coach Brian Privett stressed, were able "to write history."

The two seniors, Alissa Hargett and Linzee Kerce, have been the soul of a program that went from eight wins in their freshman season to 12, to 21 and now to 31. Said Privett, "That's the legacy they've left."

For the boys, it was an agonizing loss, made more frustrating because Madison Academy put together a B-minus performance.

As Jordan Matthews said, "Hopefully (the pain) will get better with time."

"We won't let one loss define our season," Kerron Jr. said. "It was a big loss. But we had a heck of a schedule and we won big games. This team has proven to a lot of people you don't need the 7-footers and the top-ranked (prospects) in the country to play and win. All you need is a team that believes in each other and a coach that believes in them to win."

Blackston called this team "an absolute blessing from the Lord."

"They're one of the funnest teams to be around. What I'm proud of so much is the character of the guys," he continued. "A lot of times you can't really measure success on who ultimately takes the trophy home. You judge it based on what you get out of what you have."

Three state championships are historic.

Winning is terrific.

But it's not everything.

 

Lady Mustangs Write History

Adapted From the Huntsville Times

The Lady Mustangs, up by nine points at halftime, didn't make a field goal in the third period and lost 53-50 to T.R. Miller in the Class 3A state championship game.

"We picked it up in the fourth quarter, but I guess it wasn't enough to finish it," said junior guard Haley Stewart. "I think after T.R. Miller got the lead we kind of panicked. We got it together in the fourth quarter, but that was a little late."

Stewart's 17 points led Madison Academy (31-6), which was playing in the final four for the first time.

Kesha Peterson had 22 points, including 11-of-14 on free throws, and Smith added 17 for Miller (26-2).

Madison Academy led 30-21 at the half, but watched Miller reel off a nine unanswered points to tie it midway though the third quarter.

The Lady Mustangs regained the lead briefly, but Miller's Kesha Peterson banked in a 3-pointer before the third quarter ended, putting the Lady Tigers ahead to stay at 36-34.

Madison Academy, which trailed by as much as eight points in the fourth quarter, got one of Stewart's five 3-pointers to pull within 47-46 with 48 seconds remaining.

T.R. Miller, which scored 17 of its 19 fourth-quarter points on free throws, followed with four straight to move ahead 51-46 with 27.3 seconds remaining.

Top-ranked Madison Academy made one more push as Alissa Hargett scored, got a steal on the inbounds pass and scored again to make it 51-50 with 19 seconds left.

But after Miller missed two free throws, the Lady Tigers got the rebound and went back to the foul line for two free throws with 9.6 seconds left.

"I think nerves did kick in," Lady Mustangs sophomore Nyla Johnson said. "We lost our composure a little bit, which is something we have done all year."

Miller switched defensive assignments in the secod half, putting Nakiya Smith on MA's freshman point guard Lydia McGee.

"We had a little trouble getting into our offense," McGee said.

Still, the deepest postseason run for a Madison Academy girls team wasn't lost upon coach Brian Privett.

"We wrote history," he said.

 

 

A Great Run... 

Adapted From the Huntsville Times

Leeds (27-9), the same team the Mustangs beat in last year's semifinals, returned the favor in this year's championship game, 72-64.

Madison Academy (29-6) turned the ball over 16 times to the Green Wave's five and shot just 35.7 from the floor, leaving coach Andy Blackston to say "you're not going to beat many teams shooting 35 percent, certainly not a team like that."

The star for the day went to the 6-foot-4 David Murray, who would be the prototype basketball-player-turned-star-NFL-tight-end if San Diego's Antonio Gates didn't already hold that position.

Murray - who struggled in the Green Wave's 64-51 loss to the Mustangs last season - had 29 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

"It's been on my mind since I got here (earlier in the week)," Murray said. "I said I was going to do any and everything - rebound, block shots, whatever - to get the job done. I knew I couldn't let it happen again like it did last year."

Just like last year's showdown - when it started the game on a 20-5 run - Madison Academy got off to a good start. Jordan Matthews, who finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, scored on a layup and the Mustangs raced to a 6-0 lead.

That led to a Leeds timeout, and the players who came back out on court weren't the same ones who went into the huddle. The Green Wave scored 15 of the next 16 to seize a lead they wouldn't give up.

"I think that part of the game gave them a lot of confidence," said Mustangs guard Spencer Palmer, who had 12 points and six rebounds. "We felt comfortable out there, but they came out really strong. It just wasn't our day."

Despite the missed chances and the unfortunate bounces, Madison Academy clawed its way to within 47-45 at the end of the third quarter. But that's when Murray muscled up, drew some fouls and kept the Mustangs at arm's length.

"We had nobody who could match up with him," Blackston said. "We gave the guy guarding him help to try and force some of their other players to beat us. They shot 50 percent, so that's what they did."

And for the first time in a long time the Mustangs left here with an empty, rather than a euphoric, feeling.

"We've won it three years in a row and got to the final here, and that's good," Blackston said. "I felt like we got as much out of (this team) as we could."

 

Huntsville Times Photo Gallery of Mustang Tournament Basketball

  

Mustangs knock off Minor in Classic

The Madison Academy boys, Class 3A's top-ranked basketball team, used a quick start to hand 6A Minor a 71 - 49 loss in the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic on Monday at Huntsville High.

Madison Academy (19-4) never trailed after jumping to a 23-11 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Mustangs made 5 of 9 3-pointers in the opening period.

"We shot the ball well," said Madison Academy coach Andy Blackston, whose team led 36-22 at halftime. "I'm proud of how our guys came out early and established a tone and intensity."

Minor (7-11) pulled to within 11 points in the third quarter but came no closer.

Kerron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Madison Academy, which shot better than 50 percent from the field.

The Mustangs finished with nine 3-pointers, led by Johnson's three.

 

Mustang Basketball Teams Up With HEALS Clinic

The Madison Academy 7th, 8th, JV, and Varsity boys’ basketball teams participated in a fundraiser for the HEALS Clinic (Health Establishment At Local Schools, Inc.) over the Christmas Break.  The HEALS Clinic provides shoes for unprivileged kids in the Huntsville area. The fundraiser was run by former NBA and Alabama basketball player Buck Johnson in conjunction with the Huntsville Times Classic Basketball Tournament.

Madison Academy finished second place in the fundraising contest and received a $700 check which was presented at halftime of the finals of the Huntsville Times Classic.  

 

 

 

 

Lady Mustangs Take Shoals Tourney Crown

At the Northwest Alabama Shootout, our Lady Mustangs defeated 6A Muscle Shoals 53 - 50, 6A Huntsville High 70 - 41, as well as 6A Florence and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 53 - 42 in the Championship game.

 

MA Drops Red Devils 87 - 76

Opening Region play, the Mustangs traveled to Elkmont and found an inspired Red Devil team.  With some hot hands at the 3 point line, Elkmont built a 14 point lead in the 2nd quarter, until a Mustang run closed it to a 4 point deficit at the half.  MA opened the 2nd half continuing their run and finished with breathing room in an 87 - 76 win.

The Lady Mustangs also won, building a sizable lead in finishing 73 - 40.

The Mustangs travel to Randolph Thursday, and Catholic Friday (at Holy Spirit on Airport Road).

 

Mustangs Take 4th in SportsMed Shootout

The Mustangs took on the 6-A Florence Falcons in the opening round of the SportsMed Tournament, and held on to win 65 - 64.

In their 2nd round game, the Mustangs narrowly defeated Bolivar (TN) Central 55 - 51.  Bolivar had topped Sparkman 67 - 57 in their opener.

MA dropped a nailbiter to Butler 67 - 58 in their 3rd matchup, and played Raleigh Egypt of Memphis, TN in the consolation game, losing 70 - 48 to take 4th place out of a field of 16 in the tournament.

Click here for the Huntsville Times report of the Florence game.

 

MA Sweeps Mars Hill Tip-Off

Opening the season at the Mars Hill Tip-Off Tournament, the Mustangs brought back both trophies, as the Lady Mustangs defeated the Mars Hill Lady Panthers in the championship game, and the Mustangs topped the Panthers in the boys' championship.

The Mustangs, winners in the first game over Alabama Christian 87 - 45, had to erase a 9 point deficit at the half against Mars Hill, holding the Panthers off at the end in a 56 - 53 final. 

 

 

 

Daniel England had three 3-pointers in a third quarter run, finishing with 11 points and 9 rebounds, and Kerron Johnson added 15 points.

Making the All-Tournament Team for the Lady Mustangs was Alissa Hargett, Nila Johnson, and Haley Stewart.  The boys' team was represented by Kerron Johnson and Spencer Palmer.

The Mustangs travel to Decatur High School Tuesday night, and host Columbia Friday - let's be there to support our Mustangs!

 

 

 

Click the link below for a Master Schedule of the Boys and Girls Varsity and JV schedules for 2008 - 2009:

2008-09 Master Schedule

 

Click here for the 2008 - 2009 Mustang and Lady Mustang Middle School Master Schedule  

 

Kerron Heading North to Belmont

Point guard Kerron Johnson, the MVP of the 2008 Alabama All-Star Game and MVP of the 3-A Final Four the past 2 seasons, has verbally committed to the Belmont Bruins. 

 Bawa going to IU

Bawa Muniru, the Mustangs starting center during their 3-time state champion run, has verbally committed to Indiana University.  To finish his prep requirements, he plans to attend Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, NC.  We wish him well as he makes the transition toward the college ranks.