Regional basketball: Indians, Lady Cougars advance to regional final
HANCEVILLE – The Northwest Regional tournament continued at Wallace State Community College on Friday, with a few local teams in action.
Pinson Valley survives
The Pinson Valley boys were determined to not allow history to repeat itself, but Muscle Shoals made it quite difficult.
The top-ranked and unbeaten Indians overcame multiple deficits, making the plays necessary down the stretch to earn a 59-54 win in the Class 6A Northwest Regional semifinal.
Pinson Valley had lost in the regional semifinal round each of the last two seasons and needed a big fourth quarter from Caleb White to avoid a similar fate once again. White scored a game-high 20 points, many of them coming in that fateful final quarter. He gave the Indians the lead for good by converting a basket while being fouled with 1:26 to play. He also converted a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left to make it 57-54.
“I didn’t want to have that feeling again, like the last two years,” White said. “We had to do whatever it took to get a win.”
Pinson Valley got off to a slow start, but bridged the first and second quarters with a 10-0 run to take an 18-15 lead. Muscle Shoals responded before halftime, though, reclaiming the lead with 1:37 left in the second to take a 24-21 lead into the break.
The third quarter was a frenetic, back-and-forth affair. The teams exchanged the lead multiple times, but a couple late baskets gave the Trojans the lead back, making it 44-40 after three.
“We told them you’ve got eight minutes,” Pinson Valley head coach Darrell Barber said of the team huddle prior to the fourth quarter. “You can be the biggest bust this year or you can continue to fight for a state title.”
The Indians chose the latter, even after Muscle Shoals went up 50-43 with five minutes to play. They chipped away and took the lead for good on White’s late basket.
Muscle Shoals executed its game plan and shot 50% (8-of-16) from 3-point range. Barber said his team missed several defensive assignments, but gave plenty of credit to freshman Clyde Walters for providing defensive stability in the paint. Walters finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks in the game.
“The crowd was into it and we just had to come out and play hard,” Walters said.
Terry Coner Jr. had 11 points on the day, while Amari Bowens had 8 points and 4 rebounds, all three of his field goals seemingly coming at important times.
“We’ve been down before and had to fight through adverse situations,” Barber said. “My guys are going to continue to fight.”
Pinson Valley will take on either Cullman or Buckhorn in the regional final next Wednesday at 10:45 a.m., back at Wallace State.
Clay girls roll
The Clay-Chalkville girls looked like a team with plenty of regional tournament experience Friday afternoon, despite no one on the roster having been to that stage previously.
The Lady Cougars got off to a hot start and routed Muscle Shoals 65-44 in the Class 6A Northwest Regional semifinal at Wallace State Community College.
“We felt like we could take them off the bounce a little, spread the floor and kick to our shooters,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Kevin Conner said. “We were able to do that, so there was no reason to change it up.”
Clay-Chalkville came out on fire, jumping out to a 22-4 lead late in the first quarter. That margin was pretty constant the entirety of the contest.
“It’s really a blessing to come out and play like this, because last year we didn’t make it this far,” said Kamoriah Gaines, who led the Lady Cougars with 23 points and 9 rebounds in the contest.
Brooklyn Phillips scored 13 points for Clay. She said while there are pregame nerves on a stage like this, the players on her team support one another and remain upbeat.
“As the game started, we made good plays and were celebrating each other. That’s what makes this tournament fun. We play off positive energy.”
Kameron Sanders scored 10 points, Cheyenne Pearson scored 8 and Kimora Brewster added 7 points. Tamora Brown led Muscle Shoals with 11 points.
Clay shot 58% from the floor, while holding Muscle Shoals to just 35% shooting. The Lady Cougars will now get the tall task of playing Hazel Green, the five-time defending state champion. Conner called the Trojans the “gold standard.”
They aren’t shying away from the challenge, though.
“We’ve been talking about it all year,” Conner said. “We’re going to have a couple good days of practice and come out here and get after them.”
Lady Bucs cruise into regional final
The Hoover girls have been the top-ranked team in Class 7A all season, and did nothing to dissuade from that notion Friday afternoon.
Hoover cruised to a 50-20 win over James Clemens in the 7A Northwest Regional semifinal. The Lady Bucs have openly been on a quest to capture their third straight state championship this season, and Friday was another step toward that goal.
“It’s a blessing be back here,” Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson said. “The last six years, they don’t know what it’s like to not get to this point. Sometimes we have to fight that, because it’s expected.”
Hoover shot just 32% from the floor in the game, but a staunch defensive effort coupled with a dominant rebounding effort gave the team more than enough. The Lady Bucs outrebounded James Clemens 51-27 in the game and forced 24 Jets turnovers.
“We won, but there were too many mistakes,” Johnson said. “It’s always good when you win a game and play not as good, because you leave with hunger.”
Reniya Kelly did what she does best, leading the Lady Bucs with 16 points and 8 rebounds in the game. She is putting the finishes touches on arguably the best career in program history during these playoffs.
“We just focus on one game at a time and don’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Kelly said. “I’m not rushing through the season. It’s bittersweet.”
Layla Etchison, who scored 11 points and picked up 4 steals, is looking to cap her career off with a few more wins as well.
“We’re going to play every game like it’s our last game,” she said.
Alanah Pooler and Kristen McMillan each posted 7 points, with McMillan pulling down 8 boards.
James Clemens advanced to the regional tournament under second-year coach Monica Maxwell, a former assistant with Johnson at Hoover. Alexa Moore led the Jets with 7 points.
Hoover will take on Bob Jones next Tuesday at noon in the regional final.
Bucs play strong game
The Hoover boys withstood a challenge Friday afternoon, beating Austin 65-41 in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal.
The Bucs took control of the game in the second quarter, taking a 26-17 lead into the half and pulling away further in the second half.
“Super proud of the guys,” Hoover head coach Scott Ware said following the game. “We’ve battled all year, with our youth, trying to be who we are and get a game plan and stick to it. We did an excellent job of that today.”
Hoover was one of the top teams in the state a year ago, but was disappointed after faltering in the area semifinals.
“We’re trying to make a statement,” said Salim London, who scored 17 points Friday and was a key player on last year’s team. “We didn’t even get a chance to play in the regionals [last year]. We remember the feeling.”
London was only outclassed by 6-foot-9 forward DeWayne Brown, who dominated in the paint. He wrapped his evening with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks.
“I knew they were going to try to give me the ball, and I had to do what I had to do to finish,” Brown said.
Jarett Fairley finished with 12 points and 4 steals, while Jonathan Caicedo continued to provide a tremendous lift to the team in all facets. Ware called Caicedo the team’s “Swiss Army knife,” and he filled the stat sheet with 5 points, 7 boards and 6 assists.
Hoover now looks forward to a big regional final against rival Vestavia Hills on Tuesday at 1:45 p.m., back at Wallace State. The Bucs won the first meeting, but Vestavia has won the last two this season.
“It should be a really good game,” Ware said. “We’ve just got to make a few plays. It’s tight. We’re going to enjoy this win today and see if we can get ready for them on Tuesday."