By Kyle Parmley
TRUSSVILLE – The Hewitt-Trussville girls basketball team won for the second time in as many games to start the season, as the Huskies coasted to a 61-29 victory over crosstown rival Pinson Valley on Thursday at Bryant Bank Arena.
Hewitt-Trussville (2-0) started strong with an 8-0 run out of the gates and never trailed. After the first quarter, the Huskies held on to a 15-4 lead.
Beginning in the second quarter, forward Kimberly Duffett took over. The senior scored six points in the frame, including consecutive rebound-putbacks off missed shots. Duffett added ten more points in the third quarter in much of the same fashion, finishing the night with 16 points and dominating on the glass.
“We went back and watched film and we just started working on what was going to help her to score more,” head coach Tonya Hunter said. “We worked on it Wednesday and she picked it up really fast. That helped her out tremendously tonight.”
Standing at 6-foot-2, Duffett had a clear advantage, as no girl on the Pinson Valley roster eclipsed 6-feet tall. Hunter is anxious to see how she will fare against competition that can match her height.
“That’s a unique thing tonight. We’re going to (Hazel Green on Friday) and Saturday and we’ll play some tough teams. If she can do that a couple times against some big girls, that will be big for her,” Hunter said.
The halftime margin was 33-17 in favor of Hewitt-Trussville.
Pinson Valley (0-1) struggled throughout the evening, but saw a bright spot with Ken’Jada Hutchinson. Just a sophomore, the guard led the Indians with 11 points and demonstrated an ability to knock down the midrange jumper. Aaliyah May scored seven points, and Laurel Uhomba and Breanna Green each contributed four points.
Often, coaches will say the greatest improvement comes between the first and second games. Hunter was happy with the strides made on offense, but despite holding the Indians to just 29 points, felt the defense could have been better.
“Offensively, we saw a lot of improvement,” she said. “We lost our defensive intensity. We just had spurts of it. We have to have it constantly like we did (against Pleasant Grove). We have four games in five days, so once we get some practice, hopefully we’ll get more consistent.”
Sophomore guard Christina Till showed impressive touch with the long range shot, burying four 3-pointers and finishing the night with 14 points.
Bailey Berry, another player the Huskies rely on for 3-point shooting, struggled with her shot most of the evening, but finished off an impressive basket while taking the foul in the second quarter.
London Coleman added nine points, as she continued to show the ability to handle the ball from the guard position. Point guard Morgan Kirk added seven points. Cierra Taylor did her damage in the first half, scoring six points.
In her second season as the head coach at Hewitt-Trussville, Hunter is beginning to grasp the importance of beating the crosstown teams, such as Pinson Valley and Clay-Chalkville.
“I’m learning the history of Hewitt-Trussville, Pinson Valley, and Clay-Chalkville with all the rivalries. We’re picking up on it. The girls are definitely giving me the history of it,” she said.
The Huskies travel to Hazel Green for the weekend. They will take on Lee-Huntsville at 7 p.m. Friday, and will face Buckhorn and Hazel Green on Saturday.
Pinson Valley hosts Shades Valley at 6 p.m. on Monday.