Breaking down barriers: Decatur Heritage trio took program to new heights

On the bright side though, what a way to go out together.

The Decatur Heritage trio has put in a lot of work for the Eagles over the past few years, and that work helped guide the Eagles all the way to the Class 2A state girls championship game for the first time in the program's history.

Even though the season didn't end with a championship trophy, to those three, the end was justification for all the work they had put in together.

"The foundation has been set with this (senior) group," Jones said. "I've had some good groups come through, but what these girls did was tremendous. I've probably got more girls wanting to play basketball here than ever, just because of the hard work that these girls put in that led to this state run."

"Everybody wants to be a part of something special," Jones added. "We didn't bring home the trophy like we wanted, but we made it to the end. At the end of the day, that's all you can ask for."

While the Decatur Heritage roster was littered with talented players, Hames and McGhee were the driving force.

The senior duo was nearly unstoppable as Hames averaged 18 points and five rebounds, while McGhee averaged 14 points and nine rebounds and finished with 173 steals.

Because of their season, the two were chosen as The Decatur Daily's Class 1A-4A players of the year, while Jones was selected as the Class 1A-4A coach of the year.

"When you see all the work you put in pay off, it's pretty special," Hames said. "I'm sad it's over, but this season and this time with my team, it's something I'll keep with me for the rest of my life."

The Eagles finished the season with a 28-8 record, winning the Class 2A Northwest Regional championship and advancing to the team's first Final Four since 2016. The state finals appearance was the first for the girls team in school history.

"Now that I've kind of had time to reflect on the season, I realize just how special it really was," Jones said. "Time is going to go on, but the memories from this year, it's something that will last forever."

After four straight seasons of being eliminated in the regional tournament, including three times in the regional finals, Decatur Heritage's regional championship win was a momentous milestone. McGhee, who has played for the Eagles since she was in seventh grade and was a part of all those regional eliminations, said the difference in this team came from the previous offseason.

"We did a lot of team bonding in the offseason," McGhee said. "We were always capable of making it to Birmingham, but the unity we had this season was better than any of the teams I had been on in the past. It was like a sisterhood."

"We were closer than ever off the court and it showed on the court," McGhee added.

Hames and McGhee are two of five seniors that Decatur Heritage will be losing. That senior group has brought the Eagles' program a long way, breaking the barrier of reaching the state finals.

But while this group accomplished a lot, the players believe it's only a matter of a time before another group comes along and surpasses.

"I feel like we set a new standard for the program and now it's like there's a challenge for all the teams coming after us to do better than us," Hames said. "I have no doubt that eventually this team will win a state championship."