By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
VESTAVIA HILLS — This time, Vestavia and Hewitt-Trussville play for an area championship.
The Huskies dispatched Gadsden City 55-29 in the first round of the 7A Area 6 tournament, while Vestavia embarrassed Spain Park 58-10 to reach the championship game. The teams have met twice before during the 2022 season, splitting the games as each visiting team won on the other’s home court. They rematch here Thursday, February 10, at 6 p.m.
Vestavia won the most recent game at Bryant Bank Arena on January 21, 50-38. Since then the Huskies have reeled off five straight wins and beaten the No. 2 6A team, Mortimer Jordan. The Huskies are now 24-5 on the season.
Game 1: Hewitt-Trussville 49, Vestavia 47
The Huskies raced out to a 9-0 margin to start the game against the No. 2-ranked team in 7A, leading for most of the game before closing things out in the final seconds with a hard-fought defensive stop to deal the Lady Rebels their second loss of the season.
Vestavia’s Sarah Gordon drilled a pair of three-pointers to get the Lady Rebels back into it early, cutting the lead to 11-8 at one point, but it was hard for Gordon to sustain that kind of momentum for long, as she drew three fouls in the first half and was forced to take the bench.
Meanwhile, Hewitt-Trussville’s April Hicks also garnered three fouls in the first half, limiting one of the Huskies’ most talented shooters.
The Huskies relied on D’Yona Jones to get things moving offensively. Jones finished with 26 points to lead all scorers. She also had four blocks. Vestavia Hills could do nothing with Jones in the first half, as she went to the basket from the low blocks again and again. The Huskies led the Rebels 15-12 after one quarter, with Jones scoring 10 of the team’s total points.
Game 2: Vestavia 50, Hewitt-Trussville 38
The game was a complete opposite of the first meeting of the season between the two teams as Vestavia ran out to a quick 10-0 lead before the Huskies could get set.
Stymied by Jones in the first game, Vestavia turned to their freshman forward Sarah Gordon, who lit up Hewitt-Trussville from outside the three-point arc.
Combined with the tough play of Emma and Ally Smith on the defensive side, it was hard for the Huskies to ever find their offensive rhythm as the Rebels switched to a pressing defense at various times in order to force turnovers and take the win in the second game.