Lady Huskies blast Theodore, head to state final

BIRMINGHAM – The Lady Huskies looked like they had been there before.

That’s because many of them had been.

In its second trip to the state final four in the last three years, the Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball team blasted Theodore 73-39 in the Class 7A state semifinals on Tuesday afternoon at Bartow Arena.

Hewitt-Trussville (29-4) started fast and never relented. The Lady Huskies began the game on a 13-2 run, thanks to a flood of 3-pointers that never stopped. In the game, Hewitt drained 12 3s and shot 42% overall from the floor. 

“We wanted to be razor sharp and focused,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter said following the game.

The Lady Huskies held a 16-8 lead after a quarter of play, then began the second quarter with a 9-0 spurt. They would take a 36-14 advantage into halftime and were not threatened in the second half.

Six players hit a 3 in the game for the Lady Huskies. Amiya Payne knocked down four of them and led the way for her team with 25 points and seven rebounds in a dominant performance.

“My team is one of the reasons I could do all that,” Payne said. “They believe in me and that allows me to play to the best of my potential.”

Audre Benson hit three of them and scored 12 points, while April Hooks hit two, Jordan Hunter nailed one and Londyn Johnson-Yates knocked one in as well. Abbie Kate Monski got in on the action late, nailing a 3 of her own. 

Hooks and Hunter, two of the young guards on the team, each scored 11 points and combined for nine rebounds. 

“It’s so amazing to see her grow into April Hooks,” Hunter said. “I’ve seen her mature in her game, her pull-up jumpers, her rebounding. Her confidence is so high right now and I’m so proud of her.”

Amir Brown had a solid game as well, getting four points, four rebounds and four steals. Hunter and Payne also contributed four steals, and the Lady Huskies outscored Theodore 28-6 in points off turnovers. 

Hewitt-Trussville advances to play Hoover in the state championship game for the second time in three years. The game will be played Wednesday at 2 p.m. Earlier this year, Hoover beat Hewitt-Trussville 60-58 on a buzzer-beating shot.

“We’re just up for the challenge,” Hunter said.