Don't try to outrun the Hoover Cardinals. These guys can fly.
Steele Canyon, a team that considers itself pretty quick, attempted to match strides with the top-seeded Cardinals in last night's Division II quarterfinal at Hoover.
Bad idea.
“When we're running, we are usually playing well,” said Hoover forward Jevon Carmon after the Cardinals cruised past the Cougars 73-54. “They tried to keep up with us, but we just wore them down.”
Hoover (24-6) used a 15-2 first-quarter run to erase a 5-4 Steele Canyon edge.
“As long we keep our energy level up like we did tonight, teams aren't going to beat us,” Carmon said.
Carmon paced the Cardinals with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 senior made 12-of-21 shots, and has scored 57 points in Hoover's first two playoff wins.
“Our first option is to attack the basket,” Carmon said. And that they did, hitting 30-of-66 shots from the field.
Steele Canyon (16-13), on the other hand, couldn't find the basket in the first half. The Cougars connected on 21 percent (7-of-34) shots to trail 35-18 by intermission.
One of the reasons for Steele Canyon's lackluster shooting was Hoover's 6-foot-8 freshman post, Angelo Chol. He blocked seven shots – six in the first quarter.
“I asked my guys, 'How many shots are we going to let that guy block?' ” said Steele Canyon coach Derek Stephens.
Chol finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, playing less than three quarters.
“Angelo really set the tone early for us,” Hoover coach Ollie Goulston said. “They were intimidated by him.”
The Cougars eventually found ways around Chol in the second half. But by then, the outcome had been decided.
Hoover led 71-46 when Goulston emptied his bench with 2:09 remaining.
“Everybody we put in played at a high level tonight,” said Goulston, handing out a special mention to Corey Trisby (17 points, seven rebounds, six assists).
Only Jebari Robinson reached double figures for the Cougars with 10 points. The 5-10 junior guard, who was shut out in the middle two periods, hit just 4-of-16 shots.
“Sadly, two of our worst shooting games have come in the playoffs,” said Stephens, whose Cougars lost for only the second time in 12 starts.
