Lady Bucs complete reclamation tour with state title
BIRMINGHAM – The reclamation tour went exactly as planned.
It culminated on Wednesday afternoon, as the Hoover High School girls basketball team defeated Hewitt-Trussville 61-37 in the Class 7A state championship game at Bartow Arena.
The self-proclaimed tour began in earnest once the postseason began. Six victories later, the Lady Bucs redeemed themselves from the state championship loss just over a year ago.
“It’s a blessing to get to this day and win a state championship,” Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson said. “It’s just icing on the cake.”
The title was the seventh in program history and the second in three years for the Lady Bucs.
Hoover (32-1) left no doubt during the postseason, winning those six games by an average of 36 points. The Lady Bucs stifled Hewitt-Trussville (29-5) in the second half, holding them to just 13 made field goals. They allowed 14 points over the final two quarters and forced 21 turnovers in the contest.
“It might have been our best defensive game all season long,” Johnson said.
Hewitt-Trussville — particularly star player Amiya Payne — got off to a fast start in the game. Payne scored seven points in the first quarter, with Hoover holding a narrow 14-12 lead. Payne scored seven more quick points in the second quarter to give the Lady Huskies a 19-16 lead, but a 9-0 run gave Hoover the lead back.
The Lady Bucs never relinquished it, pulling away with a dominant second half effort.
It was Hewitt-Trussville’s second appearance in the state championship game in the last three years, both times coming up short against Hoover. The two teams also played earlier this season, with Hoover claiming a 60-58 win with a shot at the buzzer.
“We felt really good coming in on a short turnaround,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter said. “For those girls to have the courage to come out and play on this stage, I’m so happy for these girls.”
Johnson said she felt as if there were plenty of things for the Lady Bucs to clean up from their first meeting against Hewitt, and they were able to do that.
Reniya Kelly is one of the players who remembers that postgame feeling after losing in the state championship game last year. She took matters into her own hands this year, leading all scorers with 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds as well.
“It was the mentality after last year,” Johnson said of what drove the team to post such a strong season. “We had a lot of players that had that feeling in that locker room.”
Jada Knight scored 13 points for the Lady Bucs, while Kristen McMillan added 11 points and nine boards. Aniya Hubbard tallied seven points and six boards.
Amiya Payne concluded a stellar high school career with 18 points and eight rebounds in the contest. She leaves Hewitt-Trussville with two state runner-up trophies and over 2,000 points in her career.
Jordan Hunter, celebrating her 15th birthday, finished with eight points and five boards.
“We competed,” Tonya Hunter said. “We took good shots, but the ball didn’t roll in for us. I’m just so happy that we got a chance to play on this stage.”
The Lady Huskies graduate Payne, Amir Brown and Londyn Johnson-Yates following this season.
Hoover’s reclamation tour is complete, at least for this season. The Lady Bucs graduate Rachel Hager, who missed most of the season with a knee injury, and Jada Knight. But the plan is to be back at the pinnacle of the sport once again next year.
“There was already a target on our back, and it’s even bigger now,” Johnson said.