Strong finish to season lands Williams all-state honor

Things changed for Eboni Williams around Christmas.

During a journey that took the Hoover High School girls basketball team all the way to the Class 7A state championship under first-year head coach Krystle Johnson, Williams had to adjust.

Whatever clicked for Williams did so in a big way, as she rode a strong second half of the season to a first-team all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

“She had a lot of growth throughout the season,” Johnson said. “In the beginning, maybe my personality was too much for her. But once she got to know me, she took everything in, and we had a huge turnaround.”

That should not be taken as a critical statement. It simply took some time for the player and coach relationship to gel.

“Before the Big Orange Classic, we had a meeting, and from that point forward, she stepped her game up, and all her stats went up,” Johnson said.

In the season’s first nine games, Williams scored in double figures just twice. She then reeled off a stretch that began near the Christmas break where she scored at least 10 points in 15 out of 16 games.

“She stepped up big time and became the player we all knew she was,” Johnson said.

She scored 10, 13, 10 and 10 points in the final four games of the season, the four playoff games that propelled the Bucs to the state title. She notched a double-double in the last three games, pulling down 15, 11 and 11 rebounds in those contests.

Hoover had a pair of girls make the all-state team, with Joiya Maddox garnering third-team honors. Johnson said she believes much of their recognition came from the fact they played well when it mattered most.

“They say big-time players step up at big times, and they both stepped up big for us,” Johnson said. “Up until the final three games, we didn’t have anybody averaging double figure points [per game], and they both ended up doing so.”