Hazel Green Girls’ Clinch Their Seventh Straight AHSAA Class 6A Hoops Championship
Birmingham, AL – The Hazel Green Lady Trojans delivered a suffocating defensive performance against Huffman in Saturday’s Class 6A girls state title game at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.
Hazel Green (31-4), coached by Tim Miller, shut out the Vikings (25-9) in the first quarter, scored the game’s first 15 points and earned a 57-38 victory. It’s Hazel Green’s seventh straight 6A championship and the 11th career state title for Miller.
“I think we started out with good defensive intensity,” Miller said. “I think defensively they were locked in pretty good.”
Hear from Coach Tim Miller from @HGHSGirlsBBall following his teams 7th consecutive State Championship with todays win over Huffman pic.twitter.com/VXBAqA9EcX
— AHSAA (@AHSAAUpdates) March 2, 2024
The seven consecutive state titles for Hazel Green represent an AHSAA record – for boys and girls – and Miller’s 11 titles is the most by any basketball coach in AHSAA history.
How good was Saturday’s first-half defense? “I think it was pretty good,” Hazel Green senior Leah Brooks said. “We kept it to zero., so it’s pretty good.”
Added senior Sydney Steward, “We knew what we were supposed to do. We stuck to them. We knew who we were supposed to guard and not let them get where they want to get to. I think we did a good job of that in the first half.”
Huffman’s Tamiria Jones scored the Vikings’ first bucket with 6:35 to go in the second quarter, and Hazel Green’s Amiya Redus answered just 21 seconds later to make it 17-2.
Hazel Green led 15-0 at the end of the first quarter and 27-7 at halftime, but Huffman rallied in the second half and got as close as 43-31 in the final period.
Huffman (25-9), coached by Lin Slater, fell to Hazel Green in the championship game for the second straight season. Hazel Green won 53-40 in 2023.
“It just wasn’t what I expected to be with how we came out and performed,” Slater said. “I guess I’m just disappointed with the performance. … Offensively, we just weren’t executing the way we need to.”
Brooks led Hazel Green with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots and earned Class 6A state tourney MVP honors. Kristen Johnson also scored 13 points, and Amiya Redus had 11 points and five rebounds.
For Huffman, Tamiria Jones tallied 15 points and five rebounds, and her twin sister Jamiria Jones added 14 points, four rebounds and four steals.
Miller has led Hazel Green to seven straight titles and eight straight championship-game berths. He also led Jeff Davis to a state title in 2006 and Bob Jones to state titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Huffman has been in two straight Class 6A Championship games.
@HGHSGirlsBBall wins their 7th straight State Basketball Championship defeating Huffman 57-38!! pic.twitter.com/H9WxZeNbLn
— AHSAA (@AHSAAUpdates) March 2, 2024
“It’s all about this group and what they’ve done,” Miller said when asked about winning an 11th title. “It may mean something to me when I retire.”
The 2024 State Finals continue Saturday with the final day of championships for Class 6A and 7A.
All 14 state championship games are being aired live over the Alabama Public Television Network and live streamed over the NFHS Network.
CLASS 6A GIRLS’ ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Leah Brooks, Hazel Green (MVP); Kristen Johnson, Hazel Green; Amiya Redus, Hazel Green; Tamiria Jones, Huffman; Jamiria Jones, Huffman; Saniya Jackson, Park Crossing.
