By Erik Harris
HOOVER – Hewitt-Trussville ran into a tough matchup on Friday night in Class 7A, Area 6 play. The Huskies simply couldn’t match up with No. 1 Spain Park in a, 77-39, defeat.
Jaguar guard Jamal Johnson started the contest with a 3-pointer and teammate Justin Brown came back with a quick two before Larry Wooden’s jumper gave the home team a 7-0 lead not two minutes into the game. It wouldn’t get any prettier.
Spain Park led, 22-9, after one, and brought a, 45-22, lead into the half. With the loss, Hewitt-Trussville sits at 1-3 in area play.
Austin Wiley, the Jaguars’ 6-foot-11 center, couldn’t be stopped. He threw down a pair of dunks early to set the tone, and steadily worked his way to a double-double before the start of the second half. He finished the night with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
After Wiley swatted away multiple shots in the first half, Hewitt-Trussville opted to spread the floor in the second half. By taking the center out of the paint and forcing him to cover more open floor, the Huskies were able to challenge him on the drive and get to the rim.
Josh Monski, Damon Harper and Chris Lewis all got shots to fall over Wiley eventually, but it wouldn’t be enough to pull the upset; not by a long shot.
Wiley got lots of help from Johnson and Brown (both guards). Johnson finished the game with 17 points while Brown added another 16 to the final score.
For Hewitt-Trussville, Harper dropped a team-high 12 points. Monski came through with eight of his own.
The Huskies get back to league play next Tuesday night with a trip to Vestavia Hills.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.