Hoover coach Krystle Johnson described her Bucs as “so overlooked.”

Maybe so, but look where the Bucs are now.

“Let’s keep it real, when we lost Reniya Kelly, people wrote us off,” said Johnson, referring to last year’s Miss Basketball. “I have a friend who said, ‘Who do you play the first game? Bob Jones. You’re going to start the season with a loss.’”

Added senior Kamryn Lee: “Since the beginning of the school year, we’ve been told we were going to lose.”

Wrong. Bucs sophomore Khloe Ford scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Hoover to a 71-56 victory over Auburn in Thursday’s Class 7A semifinals at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

The victory sends Hoover into Saturday’s championship game, as the Bucs chase a fourth straight state championship. Hoover has now advanced to the championship game in six straight seasons, having won state titles in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and finishing as runner-up in 2020.

Hoover (27-7) suffered early-season losses to Bob Jones and Sparkman, but here we are at the end of the season and the Bucs are back in the 7A championship game for the sixth straight time.

“We wanted to prove the point that Hoover is still Hoover, and it’s still our standard,” Ford said.

Stay glassy: Hoover dominated the game with its rebounding, as the Bucs finished with a 39-10 rebounding edge, including 20 offensive boards. Ford had seven offensive rebounds. Hoover held a 20-3 rebounding edge at halftime. Auburn finished with just one offensive rebound.

“That’s just effort,” Johnson said. “It just shows the effort they give for us to be successful.”

Star turn: Ford made 11-of-13 shots and 6-of-8 at the free throw line in 29 minutes. Her 28 points is a career-high.

“It’s hard to battle a 6-3 girl who does a really, really good job of maneuvering her body around,” Auburn coach Courtney Pritchett said.

Stat sheet: For Hoover, Kamryn Lee tallied 10 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Ariana Peagler scored 11 points. Kaitlyn Gipson contributed seven points and five assists. … For Auburn (26-5), Brooke Hallman led the way with 20 points, including making 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Daley Alsobrook added 12 points, and Syriah Daniels added 10 points while battling foul trouble.

By the numbers: Auburn made 20-of-36 shots, including 7-for-13 from 3-point range. The Tigers were 9-of-17 at the free throw line. … Hoover made 25-of-52 shots, including 6-of-15 from 3-point range. The Bucs made 15-of-20 free throws. … Hoover had 14 assists on 25 made baskets.

Coachspeak: “There’s just a bear in 7A (girls) basketball that we have to find a way to dethrone.” — Pritchett, referring to Hoover’s run of title-game appearances

She said it: “It’s obviously great to be there. It didn’t end like we wanted, but we’ll be back.” — Hallman

What’s next? Hoover plays in Saturday’s championship game, set for 4 p.m.

This post will be updated.