Special to Mountain Valley News
CLINTON (MS) – Alabama’s girls rolled to its fifth straight all-star win Saturday, March 12, beating Mississippi 89-81 in the 32nd Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Basketball Classic played at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College at Clinton, MS Saturday.
Alabama’s girls have now won five all-star games in a row – including the last three played at Clinton – and hold an 18-14 edge in the series. The Alabama-Mississippi Boys’ All-Star Game tipped off at 3:15 p.m.
Hoover senior Aniya Hubbard scored 17 points and had a game-high ten rebounds to earn MVP honors for Alabama. Mississippi MVP was Carly Keats of Neshoba Central. Keats scored 24 points with six coming on two late 3-pointers.
Hubbard was 8-of-16 from the field with one trey and also had four assists and four steals in a very strong all-around effort.
The talented Alabama squad led 27-23 early in the second quarter but by halftime had a 54-37 lead – outscoring the visitors 27-14 in the final seven minutes before intermission.
The visitors, coached by Rogers’ Blake Prestage and Hewitt-Trussville’s Tonya Hunter, took control early in the first quarter thanks in big part to the play Hubbard. The Florida Atlantic signee had 11 points in 11 minutes of play in the first half. More importantly, she gave the Alabama squad a calming presence – especially on offense.
Hubbard picked up where she left off in the second half providing one big play after another, albeit a rebound and bucket or a pass to an open teammate. Shaniah Nunn of Fairfield had a big steal midway through the third period and fed a pass to Kelsey Thompson of Davidson who sank a trey to extend Alabama’s lead to 53-40. A trey and a putback by Hazel Green’s Samiya Steele stretched Alabama’s lead to 16 at 60-44 with two minutes remaining in the third period as well. When Hubbard went to the bench with four fouls in the second half, Steele, the Class 6A MVP stepped to the forefront providing strong floor leadership on defense and on the boards as Alabama took full control rolling into the final quartet with 65-49 lead.
Steele finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists for Alabama. Park Crossing’s Alexis Andrews scored 16 – including 4-of-7 from the 3-point arc, and Hartselle’s Masyn Marchbanks had seven points. Emma Kate Tittle of Deshler had six points, Emma Smith of Vestavia Hills added six points, four rebounds and two steals with some strong minutes in the second half, and Pisgah’s Molly Heard had five points, six rebounds and two assists for Alabama.
Alabama was 11-of-27 on 3-pointers with eight different players sinking at least one. Mississippi, coached by Devin Hill of Biloxi, was just 8-of-30. Keats was 6-of-9, however. The rest of the team was 2-of-21.
