From The Tribune staff reports
VESTAVIA — In the end, Emma Smith and the Vestavia Rebels were just too much for Hewitt-Trussville, wresting the 7A Area 6 title from the Huskies, 71-55.
After splitting the regular season games, with Hewitt-Trussville winning the first and Vestavia the second, the Rebels pulled away in the tournament final behind 37 points for Smith.
The teams started on a torrid pace, with the Huskies leading 20-19 after the first period. But sophomore guard Jordan Hunter picked up three fouls in the first half and was forced to sit on the sidelines for much of the game. With Hunter benched, Hewitt-Trussville’s offensive firepower was vastly curtailed.
The second quarter saw Vestavia successfully slow the pace of the game and implement a full-court press that caused multiple turnovers by the Huskies and the tide slowly turned in favor of the Rebels as Ally Smith hit a pair of threes in the period and Emma Smith capped the scoring with a three-ball of her own to make it 37-29 at halftime.
The Rebels pushed the lead to 55-42 at the end of the third period, and then some frustration boiled over as the Huskies were called for a pair of technical fouls with 2:22 to go and Vestavia up by 14 points, 67-53. Smith hit two of four of the tech free-throws, and Vestavia successfully slowed the game down while continuing to score.
For Hewitt-Trussville, Dyona Jones scored 17, while Hunter added 15 and Audre Benson had 13.
Emma Smith led all scorers with 37, while Anna Towry added 13 and Jill Gaylard put up 11, including three three-pointers.