Sunrise. Sunset.

And the Hazel Green girls basketball team in the state tournament.

The top-ranked Trojans shot out to a double-digit advantage and never wavered in a 57-39 victory over No. 8 Hartselle in Tuesday’s Class 6A girls Northwest Regional final at Wallace State’s Traditions Bank Arena in Hanceville.

Hazel Green (28-4) matched wits with the Tigers early in the opening period, both Kristen Johnson and Hartselle’s Hannah Burks knocking down first-possession 3-pointers, the Trojans but pulled away on a 12-6 run that included two 3-pointers each from Amiya Redus and Johnson.

Burks put up a pair of free throws for Hartselle to open the second quarter, but Hazel Green powered ahead on a 10-1 run to take a 33-17 advantage near the end of the period. Burks and Ella Springer combined on a 5-0 spurt to close out the half and cut the Trojans’ lead to 33-22 entering the break.

Hazel Green all but put the game away in the first four minutes of the second half, surging to a 20-point lead on the back of a 9-0 run, jumpstarted on a midrange jumper from Leah Brooks and capped on a Johnson 3-pointer.

Hartselle (20-7) scored only twice in the third period, buckets from Mary Fraces Itsede and Gracie Hill, and never came closer than 18 points in the final quarter despite outscoring the Trojans 13-11 down the stretch.

Did you know? Hazel Green advances to its 10th straight state tournament final four and seeks to add to its AHSAA record with a seventh straight state championship. The Trojans have missed the state tournament only once under Tim Miller, his first season at the helm.

By the numbers: Hazel Green shot 51.2 percent from the field, 53.3 percent on 3-pointers, and held a plus-8 edge on the glass. The Tigers were 41.9 percent overall, only 22.2 percent from long range, and went 11-of-17 at the foul line.

Stat sheet: Hazel Green – Johnson led the way with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including a 4-for-5 showing on 3-pointers, and added 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Brooks had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and Zyriah Price finished 11 points and 6 rebounds. Redus contributed 8 points, followed by Sydney Steward with 3 points, 3 boards and 4 assists. Hartselle – Burks finished with a team-high 15 points, along with 3 rebounds, and Itsede had 9 points and 7 rebounds. Springer had 7 points, followed by Anna Burroughs with 5 points and 2 rebounds and Hill with 3 points and 2 boards.

Coachspeak: “They’re a young team, but they gave us a good challenge. We were able to get going and execute better on offense, especially on 3-pointers. Our defense was aggressive, played well and took care of business when it was needed. We’ll see y’all next week.” – Hazel Green’s Tim Miller

“It’s part of being in the Northwest Region of Alabama. You play the toughest teams and usually, the teams that come out of this region have a great chance of winning a state title. We treated this like a state championship game. If you’re going to knock off the top, you got to do it in the regionals. Super proud of our effort and energy and the way they responded to the challenge.” – Hartselle’s Amber Deline

They said it: “We definitely worked on our shooting after last week. It just felt more comfortable today and we were able to go inside easier.” – Kristen Johnson

“We knew what we were up against and it was a real challenge to execute against them. But we found our shot early and was able to rely on our defense.” – Zyriah Price

What’s next? Hazel Green advances to face No. 3 Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in a Class 6A state semifinal at 9 a.m., on Feb. 28, at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham.