BIRMINGHAM — Sumter Central boys basketball held off a late comeback by Montgomery Academy, defeating the Eagles 87-85 in double-overtime Friday in the boys Class 3A AHSAA central regional semifinal at Bill Harris Arena.

The Jaguars held the lead for a majority of the game, leading by as much as 44-32 going into halftime, but Montgomery Academy chipped away at the lead down the stretch before sending the game into double overtime. It was Sumter Central, though, who held on to claim victory and punch its ticket to the Elite 8.

"Montgomery Academy is a good ball club, we knew that coming in all year," Sumter Central coach Jazmin Mitchell said. "We have been watching them all year, and that was two ball clubs going at it doing what two good ball clubs do. I think right now, that was the championship game right there ... I'm proud of my boys and I'm proud of all the people that came out tonight."

Sumter Central's Emmanuel Clarton led all scorers with 36 points, shooting 48% (12-of-25) from the field, to go with seven assists and five rebounds. Jonathan Fitch added 29 points to go with 12 rebounds for the Jaguars. Montgomery Academy's Skyler Stovall finished the game with 30 points to lead the Eagles, and DJ Vinson added 21.

Sumter Central finished the game shooting 59.3% (32-of-54) from the field, while Montgomery Academy finished at a 41.0% (34-of-83) clip. It was the highest scoring regional game in Alabama since 2021.

The Jaguars will now face the winner between Southside-Selma and Trinity Presbyterian on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 2:15 p.m. in the central regional final. They will be looking to make another deep run in the playoffs following a Final Four appearance last season.

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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama softball and football recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA regionals: Sumter Central boys hold on to defeat Montgomery Academy