OVER THE MOUNTAIN
JOU RNAL THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011
Sports
Second Half Blues
WEEKEND WRAP UP
Bucs Rout Rebels, Mounties; Oak Mountain Wins. See page 30
Late Hoover Fade Costs Bucs Title BY LEE DAVIS
JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER
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he Hoover Lady Bucs went into last week’s Class 6A Final Four ranked as one of America’s finest girls’ basketball teams. Hoover had run roughshod over its opposition in the regular season, posting a 32-3 record, with only one loss coming from an instate team. That team, by the way, happened to be the Bob Jones Lady Patriots, whom Hoover had faced early in the season. Hoover avenged the defeat against Jones by a 43-30 count a week later and whipped the Lady Patriots by nine in mid-January. The Lady Bucs, in fact, dominated their schedule so thoroughly that Coach Donnie Quinn was relegated to complaining publicly about his team’s alleged lack of intensity – even after 22-point wins over quality opponents. Hoover was so good, it seemed, that Quinn had to practically invent flaws in his team – because no coach worth his or her salt will ever admit to being 100 percent satisfied. In Thursday’s semifinal, the Lady Bucs looked as strong as ever. They demolished a good Blount Vestavia’s Patrick Prewitt applies pressure to Murphy’s Michael Manning in the Rebels 6A semifinal loss. More photos at otmj.com. Journal photo by Marvin Gentry
team 67-38, although Quinn did point out that the Leopards had out-rebounded Hoover 21-20 at halftime. But by any reasonable measure, the Lady Bucs were peaking at the right time for Saturday’s 6A championship finale against – guess who – Bob Jones in the ultimate battle for the blue trophy. And until well into the third quarter on that rainy afternoon, Hoover looked like the juggernaut that had won 33 games and earned a top 20 national ranking. The Lady Bucs had moved to a 2818 lead over Jones, and a second straight state championship looked virtually inevitable. But it didn’t happen. Bob Jones went on a 13-2 run to take the lead at 31-30 with 6:29 in the game. Hoover responded with a free throw to tie the game at 31-31. Breion Allen’s three-point shot put the Lady Bucs back in front 34-31 with 4:28 left in the game. But after that, the Lady Patriots regained control, taking advantage of Hoover’s poor shooting to take a 39-36 win and earn their third state championship in four years. The shooting problems – caused
See Lady Bucs, page 29
Lee Davis
Despite Disappointing Finishes, Vestavia and Hoover Had Memorable Seasons
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Hoover’s Kayla Anderson attempts to drive past a Bob Jones defender in the Lady Bucs’ 6A state championship game last weekend. More photos at otmj.com Journal photo by Tom Neil
Midnight Basketball
Vestavia Cinderella Story Ends at BJCC
BY LEE DAVIS
JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER
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he Vestavia Hills boys’ basketball team’s run to the Class 6A Final Four was the kind of stuff of which fairy tales – and movies – are made. Maybe the sequel to “Hoosiers” could have been “Rebels.” Movie plots aside, the Rebels’ amazing championship run was so incredible that Vestavia had to actually win the Class 6A title to end 2010-11 with a break-even 17-17 season. But the clock finally struck midday for Vestavia’s epic ragsto-riches journey, as the Rebels saw their championship hopes die in Thursday morning’s semifinal at the BJCC. Murphy took advantage of early Vestavia foul trouble and used its own aggressive press to take a 65-59 victory. The loss dropped the Rebels’ final record to 15-18, but their strong post-season worksheet will be their lasting legacy.
Vestavia started the game by effectively getting inside, highpercentage shots. On the down side, senior William Truss, the Rebels’ top scorer, was whistled for two fouls in the game’s first two minutes – in which he had also scored his team’s first five points. Baryn Houston and Anton Cook made steals that set up transition baskets, and Vestavia enjoyed a 16-8 advantage as the first period ended. The Rebels’ hot shooting continued in the second period, and their lead grew to 26-13 with about three and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Murphy began to press effectively, forcing Vestavia into turnovers and bad shots. The Panthers outscored their rival 12-6 for the remainder of the quarter and went into halftime trailing only 32-24, despite the fact that Vestavia shot a sizzling 72 percent from the field in the first two periods.
See Rebels, page 29
he Vestavia Hills boys’ and Hoover girls’ basketball teams took vastly different routes to the state Final Four last week, but both sadly ended the week in Disappointment Alley. Once again Rebel coach George Hatchett proved he is the best post-season coach anywhere by taking a Vestavia team with only 11 regular season victories to within one quarter of playing for the state 6A championship. The Rebels battled gamely as they pretty much ran out of gas in the fourth quarter of their 65-59 loss to Murphy of Mobile. Vestavia put itself behind the proverbial eight ball early on when aces William Truss and Patrick Prewitt got into early foul trouble. For a while, however, it looked like good offensive penetration and a high shooting percentage might be enough to give the Rebels the victory. Unfortunately, Vestavia hit a cold streak at just the wrong time, and the Panthers took control late to seal the victory. The Rebels’ final record was only 15-18, but few Vestavia loyalists will remember anything about the season besides their team’s memorable dash through late February. On the other hand, Hoover’s girls dominated the regular season and the post-season tournaments with a sparkling 32-3 record, and few expected the Lady Bucs not to reach the Class 6A Final Four. Hoover lived up to its billing, crushing most of its opposition by impressive scores. Often, however, the Lady Bucs’ games became so one-sided so quickly that at times, the team seemed to lose focus and intensity, a characteristic that drew the ire of Coach Donnie Quinn. The lapses were more understandable when you consider that Hoover
See Memorable, page 31