By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
JACKSONVILLE — For a moment, it was deja vu. The Hewitt-Trussville girls basketball team went up 9-2 against Vestavia, forcing the Rebels to call a timeout. Unlike the teams’ first meeting this season, however, the Huskies were unable to hold on, losing in the AHSAA 7A Northeast regional finals, 59-43.
Vestavia seized momentum after that initial run and never let it go. The Rebels’ Anna Towry had 17 points to lead all scorers, while Emma Smith poured in 16, and Sarah Gordon added 9. This win was something of a revenge game for Vestavia (31-2), as Hewitt-Trussville had knocked them out of the regional finals the previous two years.
“We’ve been in this game the past three years,” Rebels coach John David Smelser said after the game. “We were heartbroken in this locker room last year, and I told them. I told them it ain’t happening again. We watched film from last year yesterday, actually. I felt like the moment last year was too big for us.”
That was not the case this time.
Hewitt-Trussville had trouble finding open lanes for its talented guards to create openings, as Vestavia relied on team defense to shut down the Huskies.
For Hewitt-Trussville coach Tonya Hunter, who has seen this game from both sides — winning the regionals and now losing them — the difference in the game came down to execution.
“Coming into this game, as you know, the last couple of years whoever’s been in our area has competed in the region championship game,” Hunter said. “This year — we’ve been blessed to be in the locker room that was winning — and this year we’re not in that locker room. And like I told my kids when I was in there, that we didn’t play the game to be in the situation that Vestavia is in. Everything to Vestavia. They shot the ball really well, their players came to play and execute on what they do well, and they do a heck of a job of it.”
Vestavia went into the half with a six-point lead, 29-23. The third quarter was where they began to pull away, burying three three-pointers in the period, including a devastating bomb from Carley Smith as time wound down. Vestavia outscored Hewitt-Trussville 18-8 in the third, and the teams went point-for-point in the fourth.
Jordan Hunter scored 16 for the Huskies, while Audre Benson and April Hooks each had 10 points.
Hunter and Benson were named to the all-tournament team, while Emma Smith, Anna Towry and Sarah Gordon of Vestavia were all named to the all-tournament team as well. Smith earned MVP honors.