Regional finals: Eagles fall late

HANCEVILLE – The Class 7A boys and girls Northwest Regional finals were contested Tuesday morning at Wallace State Community College inside Tom Drake Coliseum. The winners will play in Birmingham at Legacy Arena as part of the state final four next week.

Oak Mountain boys fall late

The anguish and disappointment on head coach Chris Love’s face afterwards told the story.

In a game that could have gone either way, James Clemens knocked off the Oak Mountain High School boys basketball team 59-55 on Tuesday morning in the Class 7A Northwest Regional final. 

Oak Mountain tied the game in the final minute and, instead of allowing James Clemens to hold the ball for the final shot, forced the issue. The play backfired on the Eagles, with the Jets running a play and converting an open layup.

The Eagles had a shot in the final seconds to tie that went begging.

“I’m just really proud of our kids and how we do things,” an emotional Love said following the game. “I hurt so bad for them right now, because they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do.”

The game was tight throughout the first half, with James Clemens holding a 15-12 edge after a quarter of play, while Oak Mountain surged ahead 35-29 heading into halftime.

Brady Dunn was the story for most of the day for the Eagles. His 3-point shooting kept the offense afloat, as he buried 6-of-9 attempts from deep and finished with a game-high 25 points and 7 rebounds.

He matched James Clemens star Jordan Frazier, who finished with 22 points, every step of the way.

“Brady was unbelievable today. That’s as good a performance as I’ve ever had in this type of environment,” Love said.

There were 14 lead changes in the ball game, as both teams put together runs throughout. James Clemens was strong in the third quarter, taking the lead on the back of a 9-0 run. Dunn drained a 3 at the buzzer to send the game to the fourth tied at 45-45. 

“I’m sad it had to end this way, but we gave it our all,” Dunn said. 

Ryan Giegel posted 13 points for the Eagles, while Evan Smith finished with 7 points.

Oak Mountain put together a 25-6 record on the season, capping a three-year run in which the Eagles combined to win 71 games.

“The last three years, we’ve been to two final fours, an elite eight and won a state championship,” Love said. That’s pretty special stuff.”

Hoover girls cruise to win

The Hoover High School girls basketball team has had its mind on one goal all season, and that is to repeat as Class 7A state champions.

That’s why the Lady Buccaneers had the bigger picture in mind after a 45-30 win over Bob Jones on Tuesday morning.

“We’re happy to be in the position we’re in, but not satisfied at all with the way we played,” Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson said. “We are excited to be going back to the final four, but we’ve got a lot to work on for the final four.”

Hoover led wire to wire, jumping out to an early lead and expanding that lead to 15-4 before the first quarter was over. After Bob Jones scored five straight points early in the second quarter, the Lady Bucs scored nine straight to get the gap back to double digits.

The Lady Bucs held that lead the rest of the way. 

Reniya Kelly and Kristen McMillan led the way with 12 points each for the Lady Bucs, with Kelly grabbing 7 rebounds and McMillan pulling down 6 boards. 

Kelly said she believes the team can play better in state semifinals and emphasized having “no distractions” on the mission to win it all.

Aniya Hubbard joined them in double figures with 10 points. As a senior, her Hoover career is winding down and she’s aiming to leave it all on the floor for the next game or two.

“I’m going to go out there and work hard to get that blue map,” she said.

Jazmine Powers is no stranger to local basketball fans, as she coached a year at Homewood before taking over the Bob Jones program three years ago. Johnson also coached Powers on the AAU circuit.

“I think she’s doing a great job with her program,” Johnson said.

Bob Jones is a program with rich tradition and Powers has taken it over and led the Lady Patriots to a 27-4 mark this year.

Hoover will take on the winner between Davidson and Theodore in the 7A semifinals next Thursday at noon.