Lady Bucs weather storm in win
HANCEVILLE – Enough was enough.
After seeing a lead that was 15 at halftime shrink to just four points early in the fourth quarter, the Hoover High School girls basketball team stepped on the gas pedal and pulled away from Bob Jones, winning 52-42 in the Class 7A Northwest Regional Semifinal at Wallace State Community College on Thursday morning.
"It’s a good win because we were able to weather a storm,” said Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson. “They went on a big run in the 3rd quarter.”
Bob Jones (13-14) cut the lead to 36-32 early in the fourth quarter, before Eboni Williams went to work. She converted a basket while being fouled, split a pair of free throws on a subsequent possession, and made a breakaway layup following a steal to increase the Hoover (26-7) lead.
Miya Kimber’s 3-point make moments later put the lead back in double digits, essentially salting the game away at that point.
Bob Jones' KK Bullard scored 10 points (of a team-high 13) in the third quarter, as Bob Jones closed the gap back to single digits. The Lady Patriots began the frame on a 7-0 run and cut the deficit in half, as Hoover took a 36-30 lead into the final period.
It took Hoover until the 4:18 mark of the first quarter before the Lady Bucs made a field goal, a Joiya Maddox pull-up jumper just inside the 3-point line. Maddox led the team with 12 points in the game.
Lauren Senwo scored eight of Bob Jones’ nine points in the first quarter, as the Patriots took a 9-7 lead.
Bob Jones made just two field goals in the second period, both serving as bookends to a dominant 21-0 run from the Lady Bucs. Hoover had struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, but rebounded a missed free throw on three consecutive trips and cemented a five-point possession with an Angela Grant basket to start the burst.
During the run, Grant added another put back basket, Maddox scored eight points, and Kimber drained an open trey, as the Lady Bucs soared to a 28-13 lead at the half.
A big reason for that run was Hoover's rebounding success, as the Lady Bucs outrebounded Bob Jones 20-8 in the first half and 33-13 over the entire game.
With the win, the Lady Bucs have secured their spot in the regional final, to be played Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 9 a.m., also at Wallace State. They will take on No. 1 Sparkman. Bob Jones' season ends with a loss to Hoover for the second consecutive year.
“I know what this team is capable of. We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on,” Johnson said.
Williams also reaching double digits with a 10-point game and added seven boards and four steals. Jennifer Andrew flirted with a double-double, as she finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Kimber finished her day with nine points and four steals. Grant had six points and four rebounds.