THE TIMES’ ALL-AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM: Cold Springs’ Hill snags Player of the Year honor

Published 3:00 pm Friday, April 5, 2019

Only one word can adequately describe Elizabeth Hill’s game this past season.

It begins with the letter U, consists of four syllables and is not to be labeled casually.

The word, of course, is unstoppable.

And although Hill’s remarkable performances down the stretch weren’t exactly surprising, those behind the scenes during Cold Springs’ run to the Class 2A state crown are able to offer a bit more context as to what exactly the 5-11 phenom dealt with throughout her junior campaign.

The story, though, begins in March 2018.

Hill underwent surgery — a bilateral fasciotomy — in an effort to help relieve pressure and swelling in her legs caused by exertional compartment syndrome.

To put it simply, it hurt Hill to run, walk or stand for long periods of time.

The operation, however, wasn’t exactly a success.

Weeks of arduous rehab turned into months, and the pain was so severe that Hill wasn’t able to play AAU basketball.

After her doctor ruled out other possible issues, Hill began treating herself with alternative forms of physical therapy, including cupping and dry needling.

The struggles continued, however, as Hill missed the team’s first two contests — doctor’s orders — of the season.

Practice minutes were typically limited as well for Hill, who spent myriad time before, during and after most matchups soaking both legs in 5-gallon buckets of ice water to lessen the agony.

In early games, she could only play so many minutes before needing a rest.

It was often a heartbreaking scene for Hill’s teammates.

“It was really hard to watch,” Camryn Crider said. “Especially with how close Elizabeth and I are. Every day, I’d have to watch her watch us practice. I always wished I could switch places with her, because I knew how much it killed her to sit out and knew how much she wanted to be out there. At the same time, I was super proud of her for fighting through the pain, because we needed Elizabeth this season. She got out there and played and helped us win.”

Added Kinley Campbell: “She was a wounded warrior in some ways. Elizabeth is one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met, and she knew what was at stake this season. You could see just how much pain she was in, but she battled through it.”

While that pain never quite subsided, Hill slowly began to make progress throughout the season, only missing one more game due to her condition.

Then, she showed everyone just how good she could be.

Hill delivered when it mattered most, crafting MVP honors at the Northwest Regional Tournament before accomplishing the same feat in Birmingham after helping the Lady Eagles rack up a 57-53 overtime victory against Fyffe in the 2A championship game.

Her line? 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and four steals.

She did so playing through an ankle injury suffered at Wallace State.

One that required injections on the day of the aforementioned state title clash.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association thought so highly of Hill they made her the 2A Player of the Year at last week’s annual banquet in Montgomery.

Let’s stop delaying the inevitable — Hill is The Times’ 2018-19 All-Area Girls Player of the Year.

Cold Springs’ coach Tammy West couldn’t think of anybody more deserving, either.

Not after what Hill went through, and not after what she offered the Lady Eagles late in the season.

“I’ve said it before … it would have been easier for her to say, ‘I can’t play,'” West said. “Early in the season, she was sitting on the end of the bench with ice packs on her legs in crucial parts of crucial games. But she never said, ‘I can’t play.’ And I’m very proud of her for that. I definitely don’t know if we could have accomplished what we accomplished without her. That’s because her teammates believed in her so much.”

Here’s what some other area coaches had to say concerning Hill:

“Her size … she can score inside, but she steps out and shoots the 3, too. She creates mismatches with that size. Her mentality in some games is like, ‘I’m fixing to take over.’ And she does. In the first game we played them, it was kind of close. But she decided to take over, and they pushed that lead out when she did. Next year, without Crider, it’s going to be more on her shoulders. But I really think her mentality is that she can deal with it. Some kids might shy away from it, but she’s really going to tackle it head on.” — Holly Pond’s Andrew Kelley

“You couldn’t put a quick, smaller defender on her, or she’d post her up. So you had to put a bigger girl on her, and she was able to go outside and drive past her. She’s a tough guard because of that size, and she handles the ball really well. You had to stay close to their shooters, and it just left the middle wide open for her. She’s a good player, and Tammy does a good job giving her opportunities to score. Nobody could really guard her in 2A or the county.” — West Point’s John Welborn

West netted All-Area Coach of the Year honors after guiding Cold Springs to its first state title since 2009 and fourth in program history. The Lady Eagles, who finished 28-6, also corralled 2A, Area 12 and Northwest Regional Tournament crowns along the way.

West has compiled a 617-203 (.752 winning percentage) record in 27 seasons with the school.

She was also named 2A Coach of the Year by the ASWA.

Cold Springs’ Camryn Crider headlines the All-Area first team following a strong senior season with the Lady Eagles. 

Joining her on the honorary squad is Cullman’s Anna Katherine Eastman, Hanceville’s Kelly Pickett, West Point’s Mackenzie Carter and West Point’s Miriam Oldacre.

It’s the third consecutive first-team selection for Crider and second straight for both Eastman and Pickett.

Carter (honorable mention) and Oldacre (second team) each received bumps from a season ago.

Cold Springs’ Toni West, Fairview’s Payton Golden, Fairview’s Molly McKelvy, Holly Pond’s Maddie Heatherly and West Point’s Lexi Shadix made up this year’s second team.

Shadix was a second-teamer in 2018 as well, while Golden and West were both promoted from the honorable mention pool.

The All-Area Team was handpicked by myself after reviewing the 2018-19 campaign and consulting with several area basketball coaches. However, with a limited number of spots available and a bevy of top-notch players to choose from, it’s possible some deserving candidates were left out.

See below for The Times’ complete 2018-19 All-Area Girls Basketball Team. 

Player of the Year: Elizabeth Hill, Cold Springs

Coach of the Year: Tammy West, Cold Springs

First Team

Camryn Crider, Cold Springs

Anna Katherine Eastman, Cullman

Kelly Pickett, Hanceville

Mackenzie Carter, West Point

Miriam Oldacre, West Point

Second Team

Toni West, Cold Springs

Payton Golden, Fairview

Molly McKelvy, Fairview

Maddie Heatherly, Holly Pond

Lexi Shadix, West Point

Honorable Mention

Addison: Savannah Manley and Destiny Walker

Cold Springs: Kinley Campbell, Neely Ellison and Aubrey Negron

Cullman: Alexandria Barker and Hannah Hoffman

Fairview: Katie Ball and Daisy Manasco

Good Hope: Savanna Derrick and Desire’ Odachowski

Hanceville: Kierra Merriweather and Victoria Stanley

Holly Pond: Maddi Ham and Elizabeth Miller

St. Bernard: Claire Sanders and Emma Tafazoli

Vinemont: Madysen Hacker and Sadie Stanley

West Point: Olivia Ball, Micah Oldacre and Molly Pendley