Hoover, Vestavia Hills split boys, girls matchups
Win Miller scored 31 points Tuesday night as Vestavia Hills knocked off Hoover 56-48 in a battle of the state’s top two Class 7A teams.
The Bucs, who saw their 17-game win streak ended, entered the game as the No. 1 team in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association 7A poll. The Rebels were No. 2. The Hoover girls beat Vestavia 49-45 earlier in the night in another matchup of highly ranked teams.
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“Just one of those nights, I guess. I was feeling good in the first quarter, and that continued throughout the game,” said Miller, a 6-foot-3 Belmont commit. “I was just getting to my spots, and the ball was going in early for me.”
The Vestavia Hills win avenged a 64-61 loss at Hoover on Jan. 10.
Miller scored the game’s first 6 points on his way to 14 in the opening quarter. He hit three 3-pointers in the game.
“That’s our guy. There’s a good chance this is the last time he plays in this building. We had to win now to force something else,” Vestavia Hills coach Patrick Davis said. “This guy has put the ball in the bucket so many times before in this gym. He’s just a heck of a player.”
The Rebels won every quarter but the fourth Tuesday night. They did build a 12-point lead in the final stanza before Hoover started chipping away. The Rebels remained calm, however, and played team basketball to preserve the win.
“Home court advantage is a big thing, especially at our place. Our students are the best,” Miller said. “We filled half the stands up with students. We were just feeding off that energy and played better defense than the last we played them.”
Vestavia improved to 20-4 overall with the win and plays at Thompson on Friday. Hoover (23-3) will host Tuscaloosa County on Friday.
Girls: Hoover 49, Vestavia Hills 45 (OT)
North Carolina commit Reniya Kelly scored 19 points as Class 7A No. 1 Hoover held off rival Vestavia Hills in overtime.
The Bucs improved to 26-1 overall and will host Bartlett, Tenn., in a non-region matchup Saturday before hosting Class 6A No. 1 Hazel Green on Tuesday. Vestavia Hills fell to 23-3 and will play at Thompson on Friday.
“It was a rough game,” Kelly said. “They came out to play. They have a very good defense. Very skilled team. They ran a straight motion (offense), so it was hard to keep up with them. It was a hard-fought win. I appreciate my teammates.”
Hoover led most of the game, but Vestavia’s Sarah Gordon knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation to force overtime before the Bucs put it away in the extra period.
Ariana Peagler scored 8 points in the fourth quarter and overtime for Hoover. The junior also was solid on defense throughout the game.
“She’s the underdog, of the team,” Kelly said of Peagler. “A lot of people don’t scout her, but they need to start scouting her. She hit a lot of tough shots in the game, a lot of important shots during the run.”
Peagler is coming off a season when she tore her ACL.
“We think she’s improved a lot,” Hoover coach Krystle Johnson said. “She missed one free throw, then came back and knocked down the next ones. That’s huge for her confidence. We were very proud of her and her contribution tonight.”
Rebels senior forward Anna Towry hit three 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 18 points. Tuesday’s game was much closer than the first meeting between the two teams – won by Hoover 56-36 on Jan. 10.