Lady Bucs advance to state final
BIRMINGHAM — The Hoover High School girls basketball team is one win away from its second consecutive Class 7A state title and third in four years.
The Lady Bucs beat Central-Phenix City 58-42 on Thursday morning at Legacy Arena in the state semifinals to advance to Saturday’s state final.
They’ll face either Spain Park or McGill-Toolen.
“We have come through a lot this week. We’ve had people sick, injured, a lot of adversity that we’ve faced, so it feels good to get back to the state championship game,” Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson said. “I just know we have to pick up our effort. We are a much better team than what we played like today.”
The win over Central didn’t come easily and was much closer than past playoff games. At last week’s regional tournament, the Lady Bucs (31-2) beat their two opponents, Huntsville and Gadsden City, by a combined 84 points.
Hoover only led Central 14-12 after one quarter and 25-24 at halftime.
“The talk at halftime was just that they had 24 points and 22 of them were in the paint,” Johnson said. “That’s just kind of puzzling considering that we were in a zone, which to us just showed a lack of effort defensively.”
Central (21-8) took a one-point lead early in the second half on a pair of free throws from Sierra Roberts. But Hoover responded with a bucket from Rachel Hager to reclaim a 27-26 advantage.
It never looked back.
After making a single 3 in the first half, Hoover drilled three in the third quarter to stretch its lead. Kristen McMillan and Reniya Kelly connected from the right wing, while Madison Adamson hit from the right corner.
The long-range barrage helped Hoover take a 41-33 lead into the final quarter.
“I definitely think that it picked up the energy and turned the game around for all of us,” Adamson said.
Adamson hit another 3, this time from the left wing, to start the fourth. Kelly stole the ball on Central's next possession and converted a coast-to-coast layup.
Kelly finished with 15 points, while Adamson recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jada Knight and Rachel Hager chipped in nine points apiece.
The Lady Bucs outrebounded their opponent 41-36 and forced 24 turnovers that led to 19 points.
“We were having trouble making shots in the half court, so being able to create turnovers led to fast-break opportunities, which we thrive on,” Johnson said.
Hoover did all of that without one of its top players in sophomore Aniya Hubbard, who tore her right ACL and meniscus in the regional final. Hubbard’s teammates are playing with her on their hearts and minds.
“I’m very sad that she’s out,” Kelly said. “Like Coach said, she brings a lot of energy and passion to the team, so I feel like we all have to just step it up.”
Saturday’s state final will tip off at 4 p.m. at Legacy Arena.