Lady Patriots advance to 7A Northwest Regional championship game on Tuesday
HANCEVILLE – The Bob Jones Lady Patriots have a date with Hoover in the 7A Northwest Regional Final on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at noon.
The Lady Patriots’ 42-31 victory at Wallace State Community College on Thursday, Feb. 16 against Vestavia Hills (27-5) kept the momentum rolling for Bob Jones (26-3).
“We are excited to play for a regional championship against them again and are looking forward to a competitive game,” Bob Jones head coach Jazmine Carr said.
Hoover’s regional semi-final game against James Clemens was set for last Thursday as well, but inclement weather pushed the contest to Friday, Feb. 17 in the afternoon.
The Lady Bucs (23-1) proved too much for the Jets (18-8) as Hoover cruised to the 50-20 win.
“I think we fought hard against a team that has one of the best players in the country,” James Clemens head coach Monica Maxwell said.
Bob Jones is not taking the Hanceville showdown with Hoover lightly.
“You can’t do anything but have the utmost respect for Hoover,” Carr said.
“They’re the defending state champs and have some very talented players. They’re very well-coached as well. As we prepare for the regional championship, we are going to keep the focus on the areas we know we need to improve on.”
A player that Bob Jones will have to try to hold down is Hoover’s Reniya Kelly who ended up with 16 points and eight rebounds in the Lady Bucs’ defeat of James Clemens.
On the other end of the court, the Lady Patriots know they can count on physical play from Janiyah Bone, who collected 11 points and seven boards in the win over Vestavia Hills.
“Janiyah really stepped up for us today on both ends of the court,” Carr said.
“I’m really proud of the commitment she had defensively and the confidence she had offensively.”
It’s win or go home on Tuesday for Bob Jones and something has to give in this massive game.
