It's everything: Bucs boys cap off magical day, win state title
BIRMINGHAM – As the Hoover High School girls basketball players exited the floor, fresh off winning a third consecutive state title, they challenged the boys to replicate what they just saw.
“They were telling us, ‘Let’s go,’ so we had to win it,” said guard Salim London.
Determined not to let their classmates down, the Hoover boys triumphed, beating Central-Phenix City 84-66 on Saturday evening in the Class 7A state championship game at Legacy Arena.
“It’s an incredible moment,” Hoover head coach Scott Ware said. “This is what you work for. These guys started back on August 31, with our first one-hour practice, and it’s been a grind. Basketball is a marathon, not a sprint.”
The finish line of that marathon appeared Saturday, as the Bucs pushed to the finish line to capture the program’s second state title.
“It’s everything,” sophomore DeWayne Brown said.
Hoover grabbed an early 14-5 lead, but Central made a push in the second quarter, briefly taking the lead late in the second quarter before the Bucs went into halftime with a 32-31 edge. Central came out fast again in the third quarter, but Hoover finished the third on an 11-3 push and finished things strong in the fourth quarter to claim the win.
Three sophomores stole the show Saturday. Central’s Jacoby Hill carried the Red Devils once again, pouring in 37 points and pulling down 7 rebounds.
But Hoover’s sophomore duo was up to the task. London went off for 34 points on an incredibly efficient 13-of-19 shooting. Brown did plenty of damage on his own, going for 24 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. Central had no answer for him in the paint.
“They are two of the guys that have carried us all year long,” Ware said. “They’re really, really good and we’re blessed to have them on our side. We’ve got other players as well.”
Some of those other players shined in the championship game, including Jonathan Caicedo, a senior who spent only his final season at Hoover after moving from Florida. Caicedo did a little of everything for the Bucs, finishing with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
“He’s been that Swiss Army knife for us all year,” Ware said. “He accepted that role and is a big part of why we’re sitting here.”
London was named state tournament MVP, while Caicedo and Brown were also named all-tourmament.
Ware believes one of the keys to this Bucs team going from failing to qualify for the playoffs last year to winning the state title this year is its collective willingness to make sacrifices.
“You can do amazing things when you don’t care who gets the credit,” he said. “We have five guys on the floor that can score at all times, and that’s tough for other teams. I’m super proud of the guys for accepting that and rolling with it this year.”
Hoover finished the year with a record of 31-4. The Bucs won the KSA Events Classic in Orlando and the Big Orange Classic, in addition to the Northwest Regional and the state tournament.
Hoover’s boys and girls swept the 7A state titles, the first school to do it at any classification in Alabama since Tanner in 2011.
“It says a lot,” Ware said. “It says that there’s some pretty good basketball being played here at Hoover.”