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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Wes Banks (33) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Kevy Eason (14) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Kevy Eason (14) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's #21 in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Tavian Roundtree (4) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Marion Humphrey (22) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Kevy Eason (14) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Jamari Blackmon (3) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Kevy Eason (14) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover's Kevy Eason (14) in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover Basketball
Hoover during a timeout in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal against James Clemens on February 19, 2016, at Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College.
Things got a little dicey, but Hoover pulled out a 55-52 win over James Clemens on Friday morning in the Class 7A Northwest Regional Semifinal at Wallace State Community College.
The Bucs sank eight free throws in a row and opened up an eight-point lead with two minutes to play. But James Clemens stormed back to take the lead on the shoulders of senior guard Trai James.
James and the Jets erased that lead in a minute. With just over a minute to play, James followed his own missed free throw, stole the ball in the backcourt, and made the layup to give his team a 50-49 lead.
Hoover came back and won the game, taking the lead on a pair of Jamari Blackmon free throws. Johnathan Postell converted a fast break layup the next time down the floor, and the Bucs held on, as a full-court heave from James Clemens came up short at the end.
“Man, wow,” Hoover head coach Charles Burkett said. “We work hard and we believe in what we do. We’re all playing for the same purpose.”
James Clemens hopped out to a 9-2 lead, but Hoover settled in as the first quarter wore on, as Wes Banks knocked in a triple and Postell made a strong layup while taking the contact, earning the three-point play the hard way.
Postell was a big factor in the Bucs’ strong free throw shooting down the stretch, hitting all nine free throws he attempted in the contest. He led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds.
“Coach has us doing a free throw drill after practice every day,” Postell said. “Down the stretch, it gets tough because you’re running.”
Matthew Rickman’s only three points in the game came from the free throw stripe, and his thoughts echoed that of Postell’s.
“It’s about being locked in, being focused, and being ready once the time comes,” he said.
James Clemens led 11-10 after the first quarter.
Hoover scored six straight points and took its first lead early in the second quarter, thanks to a pair of baskets by Blackmon, who wound up with 14 points (5-of-7 shooting) and five rebounds.
The Jets reclaimed the lead late in the quarter, but Hoover’s Justin Rumph finished the half by hitting an off-balance three-pointer, as the Bucs took a 21-19 lead into the locker room. Rumph scored eight overall.
Postell knocked down four free throws in the third quarter to bring the Bucs back to even after a James Clemens run. A Jets bucket on the next possession led to a big Blackmon three-pointer to give Hoover the lead back.
The record of 15-18 is a misnomer for a Hoover team that started the season 2-9 with a rebuilt roster, following the Class 7A championship last season. The Bucs played a daunting schedule, and combined with young talent, improved greatly as the year progressed.
“The schedule that we had put us in this position,” Burkett said. “We didn’t win a lot of them, but if you take a look at our schedule, you’ll know that we were prepared for a game like this. We will not see, going forward, any better teams than we’ve seen already.”
Kevy Eason is the only returning starter for Hoover, and says the team plays with “a chip on our shoulder” because of the overall record. He finished with ten points in the game.
James led the Jets with 18 points. Bradley Belt added 13.
Hoover advances to the Regional Final, which will be played back at Wallace State on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m.
