BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alma Bryant Hurricanes girls basketball team knew it would take a near-perfect performance to upset the state’s top program, Hoover, in the Class 7A state tournament semifinals on Thursday at Legacy Arena. That performance never quite materialized, and the Buccaneers rolled to a 92-47 victory, extending their winning streak to 34 straight games as they pursue a sixth consecutive state championship.
But for the Mobile County program, which finished its season 25-7 and reached the state tournament for the first time in school history, the trip to Birmingham carried meaning well beyond the scoreboard.
A Coach’s Emotional Return
Alma Bryant head coach Alaina Peacock had missed the entire season while caring for her husband, John Peacock, an assistant coach on the team who suffered a near-fatal brain injury in a fall at a construction site last November. Assistant coach B.J. Evans stepped in to lead the Hurricanes through what became the best season in program history.
While John Peacock survived a coma and multiple surgeries and was eventually able to return home, Alaina Peacock made a surprise appearance at Legacy Arena on Thursday, greeting her players after the game with embraces as she watched them field questions from reporters following the final game of their high school careers.
“To be able to push from only 10 wins in a season to I think only seven losses now, the journey was tough but we had great people in our corner,” said senior Mari-Margret Grayson. “Coach Peacock raised us from little babies all the way up and coach Evans kept it right there where she had us. The journey was fun, it was hard and it was completely worth it. Our goal was to make it to state and when you get to state, anything can happen.”
Evans, who guided the team through an unusually difficult season off the court, said he was proud of how his players responded.
“We knew the mountain was going to be steep, the hill was going to be tough to climb,” Evans said. “I couldn’t be more proud of how the girls handled themselves today, throughout the season and how they represented their school and Alaina and John Peacock this year. They played this year for them.”
Hoover’s Defense Proves Overwhelming
On the court, Hoover’s suffocating defense was the story. The Buccaneers forced 24 Alma Bryant turnovers and turned them into a 40-2 scoring advantage, while also controlling the paint 64-12. Twin sisters Madi-Marie and Mari-Margret Grayson, who combined to score 40 points in Alma Bryant’s regional-final win over Fairhope, were held to a combined 27 points on 2-of-12 shooting from three-point range as Hoover’s defense repeatedly forced them into contested, off-balance looks.
“I think we had really good defensive intensity,” said Hoover coach Krystle Johnson. “We wanted to make it as difficult as possible for them to get the ball. We knew once they got the ball that they could present a huge problem when it comes to scoring. They’re really good at creating their own shots. We have a lot of bodies that we can throw at people where we can try to wear them down and keep them from getting the ball.”
Alma Bryant kept the game competitive for one quarter, trailing just 17-14 after the first eight minutes. Evans said he would have taken that scoreline before the game started.
“Honestly, if you would have told me three points at the end of the first quarter, I’d have been happy with that,” he said.
Hoover then pulled away with a 17-2 run in the second quarter to take a 38-17 lead and led 50-27 at halftime, eventually building a lead as large as 48 points. Senior center Khloe Ford, a four-star recruit, led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds and helped the Buccaneers dominate the offensive glass, outscoring Alma Bryant 22-10 on second-chance points.
Careers End, Legacies Remain
Both Grayson sisters finished their prep careers having scored more than 2,000 points each, cementing their place among the top players to come through the Mobile County school.
“I loved every single body on this team,” Madi-Marie Grayson said. “It sucks to lose but I am pretty happy with what we did.”
Her sister said the finality of the moment was difficult to process.
“It’s hard but I think we made a statement for Bryant,” Mari-Margret Grayson said. “The job wasn’t finished but I thought it was pretty good.”
Even in victory, Johnson, whose Buccaneers have now reached eight straight state finals, praised the Hurricanes’ accomplishment.
“It’s a blessing to get this far because not everybody gets to be here,” she said.
Alma Bryant’s run marked the program’s first-ever appearance in the state tournament, a milestone reached amid a season complicated by tragedy and defined, ultimately, by resilience.