Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hewitt-Trussville’s Jordan Hunter (2) shoots a layup in a game against Spain Park on Jan. 13.
A season never goes as smoothly as a coach hopes.
Basketball coaches plan for constant and steady progress from start to finish, but it rarely happens that way. Injuries, inconsistent play and many other factors make the road more bumpy than smooth, oftentimes.
That’s been no different for the Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball team this season.
The Lady Huskies dropped three games in the season’s first month, one of those to five-time defending Class 6A state champion Hazel Green and the other two the week of Thanksgiving.
Hewitt-Trussville then rattled off a few wins before dropping three straight in the middle of December, one of them to two-time defending 7A champion Hoover.
“We were hoping to play better early, but we had so many injuries that it didn’t work out the way we intended,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter said.
DeAndrea Powell had a concussion at the beginning of the season, and Mia Ada suffered a knee injury in that mid-December stretch.
What has been consistent is the production of the Lady Huskies’ top three guards: seniors Audre Benson and April Hooks and junior Jordan Hunter. They are the team’s leading scorers and are gaining chemistry by the day.
“It’s kind of funny, they’ve been young for so long and now they’re the older kids,” Tonya Hunter said. “They’re just playing with experience. Hopefully, they can keep getting better with the flow that they have.”
Hooks was recently named Birmingham Tip-Off Club’s Player of the Week, while she and Jordan Hunter have each eclipsed 1,000 career points during the season.
All three are also committed to play college basketball, with Hunter set to play at Auburn University, Hooks heading to Alabama State and Benson going to the University of Central Arkansas.
“We’ve been using the word ‘coexisting,’” Tonya Hunter said of her three talented guards. “We’re working toward all them playing their game at the same [time].”
All three of them have done a great job of understanding there is more to the game than just scoring the basketball. They regularly fill up the stat sheet with numerous rebounds, assists and steals each game.
“They’ve been doing a great job filling other columns on the stat line,” Hunter said.
Hunter also lauded some of the team’s unsung heroes. Lilly Gray has been a consistent defender and rebounder for the Lady Huskies, while Sara Phillips is playing well and grabbing several rebounds each game. Powell, a senior, is consistently knocking down open 3-pointers. Ashlyn Howard has given the team great minutes in the post as well.
In late December, Hewitt rolled off three straight victories in Florida to win the Hilton Sandestin Beach Blowout. If the Lady Huskies can find that level consistently, they have the potential to make a run this postseason.
“It’s very encouraging to know that they haven’t played their best basketball,” Hunter said. “We’re excited to see when that comes to existence.”
Should the Lady Huskies advance past the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament, the Northeast Regional tournament is set for mid-February. They will look to get back to the final four after being eliminated in the regional final last winter.
