MADISON- Prior to the 2023-2024 high school girls basketball season Bob Jones head coach Jazmine Carr was excited to see how well her 11-player roster of players would play as a unit and grow as athletes and excel to perform at their highest level possible. With a schedule regarded as one of the most challenging in Alabama, which included stops at the Hoops 4 Hunger Showcase in Atlanta and the Nike TOC National Showcase in Arizona, the Lady Patriots used the tough schedule to their advantage to where the squad was ranked No. 1 in the state.

With the power and finesse of the lineup which featured four seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and two eighth graders, Carr formulated a season-long game plan to maximize the individual talents of her team which featured newcomers to the program along with a strong senior class with all four upperclassmen earning college scholarships.

“Overall, this team accomplished a lot this year and I think the girls have a lot to be proud of,” said Carr after her fifth season as head coach.

All the Patriots accomplished was finish with a remarkable 29-4 record. The marvelous showing that included winning the Area for the third year in-a-row and advance to the Elite 8 for the third consecutive season. Their season was shaping up to where the squad was a favorite to make it to the Final Four in Birmingham. The anticipation of needing just one more victory to make it to the Magic City came to an end as Bob Jones fell to Hoover (26-7) 58-55 in the Northwest Regional final.

“We had a great game plan for Hoover and played extremely well for three quarters, but we struggled in the fourth quarter which really cost us the game,” said Carr.

Senior Alana Obianozie (G, 5-9, Sr.) had 9-points, 4-rebounds and 2-steals per game while fellow senior Janiyah Bone (G, 5-8, Sr.) had 9-points and 3-rebounds per outing, led the Patriots and each have signed with Shelton State. Both Jordyn Fields (G, 5-3, Sr.) and Zamyra Goode (G, 5-6, Sr.) are in the process of sifting through offers to play college basketball and will soon make their decisions.

Both Obianozie and Bone will have an additional chance to showoff their individual talents and display how well the basketball talent in Madison really is as both were chosen to play in the 34^th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Carr said of her All-Stars, “They both had great high school careers here at Bob Jones.”

Bob Jones began the season with unknowns, but during its journey made its way to Arizona where it well represented the State of Alabama and posted a perfect 4-0 record winning the bracket and bringing home a championship plaque from the National Nike Tournament. The move through the season concluded with a loss and no advancement to the Final Four. The season was magical…a season to remember.

“It definitely hurts that we didn’t make it to the Final Four in hopes of competing in a State Championship game, but again, there is still so much to be proud of,” added Carr.