By Kyle Parmley
TRUSSVILLE — The scoreboard read 44-42 in favor of Spain Park at the final horn.
That did nothing to diminish the excitement of Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter following a performance in which the Lady Huskies put together one of their better efforts of the season.
“I love the energy,” she said. “I am so pumped.”
Hewitt-Trussville forced a turnover and called a timeout with 16 seconds left to draw up the final play of regulation. Cayla Dillard found herself open in the corner, but her 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim into the waiting arms of Morgan Kirk, whose floater at the buzzer rattled around the iron before falling harmlessly to the floor.
“We just couldn’t finish. It rolled out twice. We can’t do anything about that,” Hunter said. “But it’s time to start making a roll. It doesn’t matter how we start. It’s how we finish.”
Cayla Dillard with the 1,000 points ball and Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter
photo courtesy of Hewitt-Trussville Athletics
Dillard, who eclipsed 1,000 points in her career Tuesday night, led the Huskies with 11 points, playing much more at ease after passing the points milestone. She also added three assists and a pair of rebounds in the loss.
During halftime of the boys game, Hunter presented Dillard with a basketball decorated with her name and the number “1,000” to commemorate the achievement.
“It says so much about her that she plays extremely hard for her school and for her community,” Hunter said earlier this week.
Hewitt-Trussville took the lead early in the second quarter thanks to an 8-0 run. The Lady Huskies held the edge until a 3-pointer from Spain Park’s Victoria Baldwin gave the Lady Jags their final points of the night with just over a minute remaining in the game. Baldwin finished with 12 points.
Gabby Hill compiled an impressive stat line for the Lady Huskies. The junior dominated the glass to the tune of eight rebounds, while scoring seven points and dishing out a pair of assists as well. Kimberly Duffett chipped in with eight points.
Each team employed an eighth-grader in the starting lineup. Spain Park’s Skyla Knight led all scorers with 13 points running the offense, while Kirk scored six points for Hewitt-Trussville.
The Lady Huskies are right back at it Saturday night, as they take on Pell City at Bryant Bank Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
