Regional finals: Lady Cougars, Indians fall

HANCEVILLE – The high school basketball Class 6A Northwest Regional finals wrapped up Wednesday morning, with Clay-Chalkville’s girls and Pinson Valley’s boys in action at Wallace State Community College.

Lady Cougars push Hazel Green

The Clay-Chalkville girls made their first regional final since 2008 and gave five-time defending state champion Hazel Green a stern test Wednesday morning.

The Lady Cougars were in the game the whole way, but Hazel Green was able to put the game away and prevail 55-45 to advance to the state final four next week in Birmingham.

“Our girls believed they could play with them,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Kevin Conner said. “You can’t walk out there and be fearful. You’ve got to attack and go play.”

Conner said his team executed the game plan well, but Hazel Green drained four 3-pointers in the opening quarter and shot 51% for the game.

Hazel Green jumped out to an 18-10 lead after a quarter, but Clay closed the gap to 25-24 in the second quarter. Hazel Green responded, though, putting together a 7-0 run to end the half with a 32-24 lead.

“That was the difference,” Conner said. “We played really well in the third quarter.”

The Lady Cougars were the better team in the third quarter, closing a double-digit deficit to 42-37 heading to the final frame.

Junior Kamoriah Gaines had a standout game, scoring 20 points to lead all scorers in the game.

“I’m very proud that we made it this far,” Gaines said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge and we gave it our all out there. We held them pretty good.”

Cheyenne Pearson is one of four seniors for Clay-Chalkville, as she will head to play at the University of South Alabama. She scored 12 points Wednesday.

“We weren’t scared or fearful and were not worried about them blowing us out like they normally do [to other teams],” she said.

Hazel Green had three double-digit scorers, led by Jaden Toney’s 15 points. The Trojans will play in the state semifinals next Wednesday in Birmingham.

Indians’ dream season ends

The Pinson Valley boys had a storied season end prematurely Wednesday in the regional final, as Buckhorn knocked off the previously unbeaten Indians 51-41 to advance to the state final four.

“They wanted it more than we did,” Pinson Valley head coach Darrell Barber said. “We didn’t perform well. Kudos to Buckhorn.”

The first half was a slow one for the Indians, as Buckhorn grabbed a 25-12 lead at the break. Pinson Valley began to claw its way back in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to single digits heading to the final frame.

But Buckhorn didn’t allow much hope in the fourth, putting the game away with a continued strong defensive effort. The Bucks limited a prolific Indians offense to 30% shooting in the game, and 2-of-24 from the 3-point line.

With the loss, a dream season for the Indians comes to a close at 29-1. The Indians won the Class 6A regular season and tournament titles, in addition to defeating reigning state champ Huffman by 20 points and notching wins over the likes of Hartselle, Huntsville and many more.

“It’s very hard to get to this point,” Barber said. “It takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices to get to this point.”

Terry Coner Jr. led Pinson Valley with 16 points and 7 rebounds to lead the team. He said he would remember most the team’s bond and fight it showed throughout the season. Caleb White added 14 points as well.

Caleb Holt and Terrence Robinson led Buckhorn with 14 points each.

Buckhorn will play in the state semifinals next Wednesday in Birmingham.