Lady Bucs cruise past Buckhorn in regionals

HANCEVILLE – The Lady Bucs took care of business on Thursday.

The top-ranked Class 7A girls basketball team took down Buckhorn, 53-34, in the Northwest Regional Semifinal at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.

“We came out and started really good,” said Hoover coach Krystle Johnson. “We had a lot of energy with our first group. But when we started subbing, our energy went down.”

The Lady Bucs (30-1) jumped out to a 8-0 lead right off the bat and it looked as if they put the game out of hand by halftime, as they went into the break with a 30-13 edge. But Buckhorn held the margin around that mark the rest of the way, leaving something for Hoover to build on in its next game.

“We have to work on our defensive transition and communicating,” said Eboni Williams, who led Hoover with 20 points while also posting 10 rebounds. “We do it sometimes but we need to do it all the time instead of only in certain games.”

Angela Grant also posted a double-double, putting forth 12 points and a team-high 11 boards (nine came on the offensive glass). She credited her teammates for feeding her the ball in opportunistic positions.

Skyla Knight scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. The junior point guard watched from the bench last season after transferring to Hoover, so she has seen first-hand what it takes for the Lady Bucs to have playoff success.

“Last year, the team chemistry was just there and everybody believed in each other and they all played for each other,” she said.

Sarah Suttle led Buckhorn (17-16) with 22 points.

The Lady Bucs were expected to win on Thursday, and they did just that, despite Johnson feeling somewhat disappointed with some facets of their game.

The fact that the Lady Bucs live in a state of self-improvement despite winning 30 of their first 31 games is a big reason they won the state championship last season, and are looking to do so again this year.

“We’re excited to be back, but right now, we’re trying to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” said Williams. “Take it one game at a time.”

The Lady Bucs’ next game will pit them against Sparkman in a rematch of last year’s regional final. Miya Kimber’s late 3-pointer was the difference in that contest. The contest is set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday.