Good Hope Takes Down Defending State Champion Prattville Christian in Class 4A Girls Semifinal
By Josh Bean | For the AHSAA
BIRMINGHAM – Some teams get star-struck in their first appearance to the AHSAA State Basketball Finals tournament.
Not Good Hope. The Red Raiders (32-2), coached by Justin Aby, dominated in their first appearance in the state semifinals in more than a decade.
Good Hope opened the game Tuesday at the BJCC Legacy Arena on a 21-5 run, built a 20-point halftime lead and earned a 59-29 victory over the Prattville Christian (27-8), the defending Class 4A champions which also won the 3A state title in 2021 and 2022.
“We had some girls who wanted to show out, and that’s exactly what they did,” Aby said.
Good Hope advances to Friday’s championship game, with tip-off set for 4 p.m., against Anniston (29-4) or T.R. Miller (25-3), which play later tonight in the other semifinal.
defends for Good Hope. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)
Prattville Christian had no answer for the Red Raiders’ full court pressure as the Panthers committed 20 turnovers.
“They’re really, really fast, and they’re all over the place,” Prattville Christian senior Avery Rogers said. “They’re probably one of the best defenses we played all season. Yeah, they’re really good.”
Bailey Tetro led Good Hope we with 20 points, and her twin sister, Heather, added nine points and five assists. Ava McSwain had 16 points.
“We share the ball. We’re a very selfless team,” Heather Tetro said. “Every one of our girls can score. It’s not even a question.”
Added Bailey Tetro, “We play a super-selfless game. We want others to do good.”
Rogers, who was playing in her fifth Final Four, led Prattville Christian with 14 points and five rebounds, and Kayden Carr added nine points.
Click here to check out schedules and scores from the 2024 AHSAA State Basketball Finals.
Play continues Tuesday at the Legacy Arena with the remaining Class 4A girls’ and boys’ semifinals. Classes 6A and 5A open their tourneys Wednesday, and Class 7A plays Thursday morning. Championship games will begin Thursday in Class 1A. Finals for Classes 2A, 3A and 4A will be Friday, and Classes 5A, 6A and 7A close out the 2024 state tourney on Saturday.
All semifinal games are being live streamed over the NFHS Network’s subscriber-based platform and live on the AHSAA TV Network.
All 14 state championship games will be aired live over the Alabama Public Television Network and live streamed over the NFHS Network.
Cover Photo: Good Hope’s Ava McSwain (2) speeds up court as Prattville Christian’s Leah Kate Wilson moves in to defend. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)
