By Lee Davis
A strong case could be made that the 2016-17 season was the best in the history of Over the Mountain girls basketball.
Hoover and Homewood won state championships in their respective classifications, and Spain Park came within a hair of upending its cross- town rival for the Class 7A title. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the Lady Bucs, Patriots and Jaguars dominated this season’s All-Over the Mountain basketball team.
Chosen by an exclusive poll of the eight coaches of Class 7A and 6A programs in the area, Homewood placed four players on the elite squad, while Hoover and Spain Park each landed three. Additionally, Lady Buc junior forward Eboni Williams and Lady Jag junior guard Claire Holt were named co-Players of the Year by the coaches.
Spain Park coach Mike Chase, who directed Spain Park to a 22-12 record and state runner-up finish, was named Coach of the Year.
Williams, who stands 6-1, averaged 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in spark- ing Hoover to a 29-7 record and the Class 7A championship. Her best effort of the season may have been a 23-point, 14-rebound performance in a regular sea- son win over Tuscaloosa County.
“Eboni was a real leader and one of our most consistent players,” Hoover coach Krystle Johnson said. “It would have been very difficult to win the state title without her.”
Holt was a high-scoring force for her team the entire season, but she became particularly effective down the stretch. She scored 32 points in Spain Park’s 60-46 rout of Grissom of Huntsville in the Class 7A Northeast Regionals at Jacksonville State University. Holt also connected on the deciding free throw in the Lady Jags’ 49-48 win over McGill-Toolen in the Class 7A semi-final game. For the season, she averaged 18 points, six rebounds and three assists per con- test.
“It’s a real honor to be named Player of the Year,” Holt said. “I’m happy to accept it on behalf of our team. We all worked so hard to reach the finals. It’s also special when you consider how many great players our area produces – these are the girls I’ve been playing either with or against my entire life.”
Williams is joined on the All-Over the Mountain team by Hoover teammates Angela Grant and Joiya Maddox. Sarah Ashlee Barker and Barrett Herring rep- resent Spain Park along with Holt.
Other members of the All-Over the Mountain team include Morgan Hutchinson, Briarwood; Josie Wannemuehler and Katie Gagliano, John Carroll Catholic; Hannah Barber, Shelby Hardy, Ajah Wayne and Tori Webb, Homewood; Lacey Jeffcoat, Mountain Brook; Kailey Rory and Jacoby Sims, Oak Mountain; and Courtney Milner, Vestavia Hills.
