Payne's buzzer beater sends Lady Huskies to final four
JACKSONVILLE – Go and be great.
That’s what coaches Tonya Hunter and Katie Parr reminded Amiya Payne in the huddle before the final play.
With just over four seconds to play, Payne received the inbounds pass along the baseline, roughly midway between the 3-point line and the paint. She rose up above the outstretched arms of her defender and sank the game-winning shot, lifting the Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball team to a 48-46 win over Vestavia Hills on Wednesday morning at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The win gave the Lady Huskies the Class 7A Northeast Regional championship and sends them to the state final four for the second time in three years. Hewitt-Trussville will face the winner between Baker and Theodore next Tuesday at 2 p.m. at UAB’s Bartow Arena.
“It was really exciting,” Payne said of the final play. “I’m a senior and I didn’t want that to be my last game.”
“We were most definitely going to Amiya Payne,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter said. “When it went through the net, I thought I was in heaven.”
The win put the finishing touches on a riveting comeback by the Lady Huskies, who trailed by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter.
“I have to exercise, because they get my blood pressure so high,” Hunter said with a laugh. “They feed off getting down. There’s no panic. They’re a fighting team when they’re down and they play a little looser. We just keep chipping away.”
Hewitt-Trussville (28-4) scored the final five points of the third quarter and retook the lead with 3:44 to play. In a back-and-forth final few minutes, Ally Smith nailed a 3-pointer for Vestavia Hills (30-4) to tie the game at 46-46 with 1:36 to play. Hewitt was able to successfully hold the ball until Payne’s final shot.
“It was a tough way to end a game, unfortunate someone had to lose that,” Vestavia Hills head coach John David Smelser said following the game.
It was the fourth time the two teams played this season, but just the first time the Lady Huskies prevailed. The previous three meetings were decided by a combined 16 points and represent three of Hewitt’s four losses on the year.
“All three games, I knew we could beat them, because they had all been close games and we made small mistakes,” Payne said.
Payne led all scorers with 17 points in the game and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Freshman guard Jordan Hunter added eight points, including a go-ahead basket with over two minutes to play.
The loss put an end to a phenomenal season for Vestavia Hills, which lost four games by a combined 10 points. The Lady Rebels were ranked No. 2 in 7A much of the latter portion of the season.
“If you watched this team play, you know it’s a fun group to watch,” Smelser said. “We had goals and aspirations to play in the final four, but it doesn’t take away what we’ve done all year.”
Josie Edwards led Vestavia with 11 points, while Emma Smith joined her in double figures with 10 points. Both players also pulled down eight rebounds on a day in which the Lady Rebels outrebounded Hewitt 40-28. Edwards, Emma Smith and Alison Stubbs shared their gratitude for playing with a team that stayed together and won 30 games this year.
“I’m so proud of them and the work they’ve put in,” Stubbs said.
But now, Hewitt heads off to the state final four next week, and Hunter is leaning on seniors Payne, Amir Brown and Londyn Johnson to lead the way.
“I’m riding the bus with them,” she said.