Hewitt-Trussville Girls Take Down Prattville in AHSAA Class 7A Semifinals
Huskies advance to Saturday’s 7A championship game
By Josh Bean | For the AHSAA
BIRMINGHAM – Hewitt-Trussville senior guard Jordan Hunter scored 22 points, and the Huskies delivered a suffocating defensive effort in Thursday’s 50-41 victory over Prattville in the 2024 AHSAA Class 7A girls’ state basketball semifinals at the BJCC Legacy Arena.
Prattville (23-6), coached by Erica Dubois, made only 12-of-45 shot attempts and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts, while the Huskies won the rebounding battle 40-29.
“Our defense always travels,” Hewitt coach Tonya Hunter said. “It’s been in every gym for us. This is a defensive-minded team and a defensive-minded coach. We take pride in our defense.”
Hear from Coach Tonya Hunter from @HewittTVLHoops following her teams victory in the 7A Semifinals pic.twitter.com/EUOUw1HVuf
— AHSAA (@AHSAAUpdates) February 29, 2024
The Huskies (28-5) will be riding an 11-game winning streak in Saturday’s championship game against three-time defending champ Hoover. Hoover, which currently has a six-game winning streak, defeated the Huskies in the 2021 title game.
Olivia Burton added 10 points and six rebounds for the Huskies, and Ashlyn Howard had six points and nine rebounds. U’llyriah Lewis led Prattville with 21 points, and Jayla West-Young added nine points and five rebounds.
The Huskies led 46-40 in the fourth quarter when Jordan Hunter went to the line for two free throws. She missed both, but Howard grabbed the rebound.
Hewitt-Trussville’s Hunter and Ryleigh Martin then held the ball for more than two minutes. The two guards were the primary ball-handlers in a four-corners set. Dubois said she was screaming for her team to foul, but Hunter and Martin routinely dribbled away from double-teams and traps.
“I was telling them to hurry up and foul, but we had a few with four fouls so they couldn’t foul,” Dubois said. “We live and we learn. Maybe they didn’t hear me, but I was screaming pretty loud.”
Prattville made its second straight trip to the state semifinals, the first time that’s happened in school history. Hewitt can win its first girls’ state basketball championship with a victory over the Hoover Bucs on Saturday.
Click here to check out schedules and scores from the 2024 AHSAA State Finals.
“I’ve had some talented teams before, but what this team does is remarkable,” Tonya Hunter said of her team. “What they do for each other is remarkable. Their light shined today.”
Play continues Thursday with the last Class 7A semifinal games, followed by championship games 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.
