Comfortable win propels Lady Patriots to final
BIRMINGHAM – The Lady Patriots have been on this stage before.
Homewood needed no time adjusting to being back in the Class 6A State Semifinals, as it took down Carver-Montgomery, 78-48, on Wednesday at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.
“We’re glad to still be playing,” Homewood head coach Kevin Tubbs said. “Excited to get back. We came out a little nervous and missed some early shots, but we regrouped.”
Tori Webb started the game’s scoring with a rebound and put back. She scored six first-quarter points on the way to 16 points and eight rebounds on the day.
Homewood (32-2) won the state championship in 2015 and reached the state final once again in 2016, so the environment was nothing new for the Lady Patriots.
“It takes a lot of pressure off (having been to the Final Four the previous two seasons),” Webb said. “I was really nervous the first time.”
Ajah Wayne struggled with her shot in the first half, starting the game just 2-of-10 shooting, but she got off the schneid with a 3-pointer from the corner late in the opening quarter, as Homewood opened a 19-12 lead.
Wayne rebounded to hit seven of her last nine shots, and led all scorers with 20 points in the contest to go along with seven boards and four steals.
“It goes back to mental toughness,” she said of the tough start. “I was frustrated, but I got my other teammates involved. We work so well together, it’s easier now.”
With the win, the Lady Patriots will face Class 6A No. 1 Hazel Green in the state final, set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. While the game was not close, the importance of getting back to the final for the third consecutive season was not lost upon Tubbs, who is in his first year as the head coach after spending the last two seasons as an assistant.
“Getting back to the finals last year is so hard. To do it three years is a blessing. I’m so happy for them. I have enjoyed watching them play,” he said.
Homewood opened up its lead early in the second quarter with a 10-2 run, followed by a 10-0 burst, as the Lady Patriots’ athleticism and pressure defense proved too much for Carver-Montgomery, an underdog story coming into the state semifinals.
Wayne and Webb each scored 12 points in the first half as Homewood held a comfortable 44-24 lead at the half.
Carver-Montgomery (11-17) defeated Sidney Lanier -- the team that knocked out defending champ LeFlore -- in the regional final to reach the state tournament, but was simply outmatched on Wednesday. Adasia Rudolph led the Wolverines with 17 points.
Hannah Barber scored 13 points with six assists and four steals, as she played her typical solid game from the point guard position. Shelby Hardy gave Homewood four players with double figures, as she scored 11 points.
Lia Roberson, Maya Maxwell, Kassidy Crawford, Zoe Watts, Venice Sanders and Kassidy Schnoer all scored as well. Kalia Cunningham and Alexia Hood did not register points, but each dished out three assists. Kennedy Campbell and Kayla Mikula blocked a shot apiece.
Wayne is ready to be back on the stage where the Lady Patriots faltered last season, as they lost to LeFlore in the state final. Wayne injured her right knee in the second quarter of that game, and Homewood never recovered.
When she looked out of the tunnel onto the floor for the first time since that game, there was only one thing on her mind.
“This is the year,” Wayne said, with a smirk on her face.