By Kyle Parmley
Sports Writer
TRUSSVILLE – “Always good to start the season 1-0.”
The second year with Tonya Hunter at the helm saw Hewitt-Trussville get its season off on the right foot with a 62-40 win over Pleasant Grove on Tuesday night at Bryant Bank Arena
The two teams played an even first quarter to the tune of a 12-12 score, but the Lady Huskies broke things open early in the second frame.
Hewitt-Trussville opened the period with a 10-0 run, highlighted by a London Coleman pull-up 3-pointer, a Morgan Kirk 3-point play and corner 3-pointer, and a Mallory Posey layup.
Kirk and Coleman led the Lady Huskies offensively, with 15 and 13 points in the game respectively. Even as underclassmen, the pair should provide the team with quality minutes all season.
Coleman, a sophomore transfer from Springville, is coming off a preseason knee injury. Hunter said the game against the Lady Spartans was the first time she showed no ill effects of the injury. Coleman showed other flashes in the game, with a midrange jumper in the same second quarter to stop a 10-2 Pleasant Grove run and a few nice passes resulting in baskets.
Kirk, a freshman, has greatly benefited from “being thrown into the fire,” against Class 7A competition last season as an eighth grader. Even at her age, she displays the quickness to get by any defender thrown at her.
“She’s worked all summer and you can tell,” Hunter said.
Hunter will still rely on returning players such as Kim Duffett (8 points), Cierra Taylor (7 points), Bailey Berry (7 points), Mallory Posey (4 points), and Gabby Hill to continue the foundation set last year.
“With my first year being here, they couldn’t really pick up what we were asking them to do last year,” Hunter said. “But this year, they’re playing a role in everything we do. They are starting to learn how to play together. They are accountable with each other, which is huge.”
Hill was unable to play due to an injury sustained in the days leading up to the season opener.
“In our last practice, on our last drill (before the season), we had (her) go out. It kind of shook some of the younger girls up a little bit, but I was ecstatic how everybody stepped up to the challenge,” Hunter said.
She should be back soon and is expected to be a big part of the team’s contributions. Hunter also lauded her intensity on the floor.
Hewitt-Trussville held fast to a 37-23 halftime edge and never let Pleasant Grove back into the contest. Even up 20 points late in the game, Hunter continued to coach the team hard, not allowing mistakes to go without correcting.
“No matter what, I’m just thinking about things we can do better,” she said.
Her expectations are not a certain playoff result or a certain offensive or defensive standard, but something far simpler than that.
“To get better everyday,” Hunter said of her team’s goal. “That’s all it is, to get better every practice, everyday.”