Montgomery Academy’s Skyler Stovall had perhaps the most accurate description of Friday’s Class 3A state championship game. “It was a battle,” he said. Indeed, it was. Stovall and teammate Braden Gordon combined to score 48 points as the second-ranked Eagles fought off a gritty comeback effort by Mars Hill Bible to claim a 65-56 victory at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

BIRMINGHAM — Montgomery Academy boys basketball are the 2025 AHSAA Class 3A state champions. The Eagles never trailed as they knocked off the defending state champions Mars Hill Bible, 65-56, on Friday at Legacy Arena. It marks Montgomery Academy's first state title in program history.

After the game, when Mars Hill boys basketball head coach Jeremy Pounders accepted the Class 3A boys state runner-up, he brought the red map back to his Panthers bench and made them all get on their feet as he delivered a special message.

Montgomery Academy has had its eyes on the school’s first AHSAA state basketball title all season. The second-ranked Eagles will have a chance to win it Friday. Montgomery Academy outscored Glencoe 22-12 in the second quarter and 25-9 in the third on the way to an 84-49 semifinal rout Tuesday afternoon at Legacy Arena.

BIRMINGHAM – Montgomery Academy started strong in its Class 3A boys’ state championship game with Mars Hill Bible and finished strong. Mars Hill showed a determined grit and determination in