Lady Bucs return to title game with win
BIRMINGHAM – It comes as no surprise to those inside the locker room that the Lady Bucs returned to this stage for the first time since 2013.
After the Hoover High School girls basketball team settled in, it ran away from Central-Phenix City and held on Thursday morning in the Class 7A State Semifinals at the BJCC's Legacy Arena, winning 59-46.
“We expected to be here,” said first-year head coach Krystle Johnson. “I was thinking state championship from the moment they called me about the job.”
Hoover jumped out of the gates hot, with an early 11-0 run. Kelci Marable started things off with a 3-pointer, with Joiya Maddox, Eboni Williams and Jennifer Andrew scoring baskets in the run.
“To come out strong, it helped us settle in. The basket is the same size, the floor is the same size,” Johnson said.
Williams scored seven of her points in the first quarter, as the Lady Bucs took hold of a 19-7 lead after a period of play. She notched a double-double in the contest, as she finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 boards.
Central-Phenix City (26-5) played much better in the second quarter, but was unable to close the gap much. Tiyah Johnson scored the final four points of the quarters for the Red Devils, and Hoover took a 28-17 lead into the half.
Other than that, Johnson had a tough time, scoring just eight points on 1-of-11 shooting.
“I’m proud that we came out and executed our game plan,” Johnson said.
That plan was to keep the ball out of No. 14’s hands as much as possible.
“Even though she had the ball a lot (as the point guard), she didn’t do what she wanted to do because we have so many great defensive players,” said Maddox, who scored 10 points.
Hoover (28-7) roared out of the gates in the third quarter, starting the period with a 13-3 burst to extend the lead to 19 points at 41-22. Andrew kicked off the third with a pair of layups, followed up by a Maddox and-1 basket and an Angela Grant post score.
“I was just trying to prove myself and wanting my coaches to trust me after I had a few bad practices,” Andrew said. She finished the game with a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting.
Trailing 42-26 heading into the final period, Central made one last surge in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of 11 points after Hoover’s Madison Adamson began the frame with a jumper.
However, the Red Devils were unable to get any closer than 11 in the final minutes.
Miya Kimber hit a number of clutch free throws down the stretch to keep the Red Devils at bay. She finished with just one field goal on the day, but converted 8-of-11 free throw opportunities and 11 points.
“We responded well,” Johnson said. “I was worried about the players being nervous, but I was pleased. The first time (on that stage) can be nervous, but if we get a few players hyped up, everyone else feeds off each other.”
Hoover won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Central 37-29 in the game.
“That was a very big problem for us in the first quarter,” Central head coach Carolyn Wright said.
Teyah Johnson led Central-Phenix City with 17 points.
With the win, the Lady Bucs await the winner between Spain Park and McGill-Toolen. The final will be played Saturday at 4 p.m.
“We’ve been waiting for this the whole season. Being here now, we know we can do it, we just want to prove it,” Williams said.