In what may have been the de facto Class 7A state championship game in Alabama, No. 6
Hoover outlasted No. 21
Huntsville 63-60 on Thursday morning in a highly-anticipated regional final showdown.
Tennessee signee
DeWayne Brown led the way for two-time defending state champion Hoover (33-0) with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. All five starters scored in double figures for the Buccaneers, who extended their win streak to 43 games dating back to last season.
Brown imposed his will down the stretch with
back-to-back baskets followed by a free throw to keep Hoover ahead in
the final minutes of the contest.
After a
missed free throw, Huntsville was able to get a second chance at the
potential game-tying possession in the final 30 seconds before Lipscomb commit
J.D. Gossett
knocked down a floater to cut the deficit to 61-60.
A pair of free throws from senior guard
Jarett Fairley gave Hoover a 3-point edge with 11 seconds remaining. A deep 3-point attempt by Huntsville from a few steps inside half-court was off the mark in the final seconds.
De'Wayne Brown, a 6-foot-9 senior center, scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the second half of the thrilling win. (FILE PHOTO: Travis Kirkland)
Hoover came out strong in the first quarter, knocking down 5 of 9 3-point attempts to take a 19-14 lead at the end of the opening period.
The Buccaneers used a 9-2 run to close out the first half to take a 31-24 advantage into intermission.
Although the reigning state champions were able to grow their lead to as many as 10 points in the third quarter, Hunstville never gave in and continued to knock down timely shots to stay within reach.
Hunstville closed the third quarter on a 7-2 spurt to cut the deficit to 47-43 heading into the final period on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that was banked home by UNC-Asheville commit
Brayden Rivers.
After Hoover opened the third quarter with the first three points to extend its lead to seven, Huntsville responded with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 50-49.
A 3-pointer from the top of the key from four-star Auburn signee
Simon Walker gave
Huntsville its first lead since it was 2-0 in the opening minute of
the contest at 52-51 mid-way through the fourth quarter.
After
a few empty possessions, Hoover was able to retake the lead with 3:17
remaining in the game with a 3-pointer from Fairley off a
kick-out from Brown to make it 54-52.
Hunstville (32-2) fell short of winning the state championship again despite a valiant effort that saw Gossett lead the way with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in the loss. The Panthers are 64-5 over the past two seasons and have appeared in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings both years.
Hoover looks to complete its run to a third consecutive state championship against
Central (Phenix City) in the Class 7A state semifinals Feb. 27.
