By Erik Harris, sports editor
KIMBERLY — The Hewitt-Trussville girls basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season thanks to a come-from-behind road win over Mortimer Jordan on Tuesday night.
Senior Amiya Payne was virtually unstoppable in the fourth quarter, as her Huskies took control of a tight contest and went home with a 57-42 victory. The Middle Tennessee State signee exploded for 15 points in the final frame with a mix of mid-range, inside and free throw work.
That outburst took Hewitt-Trussville from a 3-point lead (38-35) at the end of the third quarter to a 15-point victory.
“The girls feed off her mentality,” said Hewitt head coach Tonya Hunter of Payne. “She’s become more explosive, more under control, and her maturity is at such a high level in basketball.”
Payne led the visitors with 19 points on the road. Sophomore guard April Hooks put up 15 points for the Huskies, and senior forward Amir Brown added eight more.
However, it was Mortimer Jordan guard Sarah Kanaday who started with the hot hand. The sophomore knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half and ultimately matched Payne with 19 points in the loss.
Kanaday scored the first points of the game with a deep shot from the left side, as she led the Blue Devils to a 12-8 advantage after one and a 27-26 lead at the break. She would cool in the second half, as Hewitt-Trussville put together a 6-0 run to take a 38-35 lead into the fourth.
Payne then took command of the offense, stretching the margin while Hewitt dominated the final frame, 19-7.
“Amiya (Payne) is our leader, but we’ve got some young guards that can really go and once they find their role, I think we will take a leap forward,” said Hunter.