By John Goolsby, Prep Sports Editor
JACKSONVILLE – They say beating a team twice in the same year is hard.
Beating a team three times in a season is almost impossible.
Beating a team four times in the same season is, well, unthinkable.
The Hewitt Lady Huskies (27-7) did the unthinkable.
With a trip to the 7A Final Four on the line, Tonya Hunter’s squad defeated Chelsea (26-6) 54-44 inside the Pete Mathews Coliseum on the campus of Jacksonville State.
“Chelsea is a well-coached team,” said Hewitt head coach Tonya Hunter.
“I told them in the locker room before they went out that they have got to play beyond their limits,” said Hunter.
“They did that; they played beyond their limits.”
The Lady Huskies will be making their third final four appearance in the last six years.
Hewitt took a 10-0 lead before the Lady Hornets got on the board with 2:26 remaining in the first period.
The Lady Huskies held a 15-7 lead as the teams headed to the second period.
Hewitt went into halftime with a 29-23 lead.
Chelsea cut the Hewitt lead to three, 31-28, before a pair of big three-pointers by Sarah Phillips and Mia Ada pushed the score to 37-28.
The two teams entered the final period, with the Lady Huskies holding a 41-32 advantage.
Jordan Hunter, playing sick, scored 9 points and came up with two steals in the fourth quarter to help give the Lady Huskies the ten-point victory.
“Whatever I could give, I was going to give to my team because that’s what they deserve,” said Hunter.
Hunter, an Auburn commit, led Hewitt with 16 points and four assists.
Hunter was an All-Tournament selection and the tournament MVP.
Olivia Burton, an All-Tournament selection, added 14 points with three assists.
Mia Ada, also an All-Tournament selection, chipped in 9 points on three of four shooting behind the arc.
The Lady Huskies outrebounded an outstanding rebounding Chelsea team 26-25.
Ashlyn Howard led Hewitt with ten rebounds.
Phillips collected five rebounds on the afternoon to go along with her five points.
Ryleigh Martin, Lauren Holley, and Amber Newman contributed 20 minutes, five points, and two rebounds off the bench.
The Lady Huskies shot fifty percent from the field on 17 of 34 shots and fifty percent from three-point range on 7 of 14 shots.
Hewitt squares off against Prattville Thursday at noon in Legacy Arena with a trip to the championship game on the line.
Hoover faces Auburn in the other semi-final matchup.