Good Hope’s varsity girls have shown an uncanny ability this season to quickly demoralize the opposition.

With a wealth of sharpshooters and playmakers, it’s not too surprising the top-ranked Raiders oftentimes race out to hefty leads other squads find seemingly insurmountable.

But while coach Justin Aby’s team can fill it up in any gym on any given night, it’s the consistent, relentless and suffocating effort on the other end of the court that’s fueled Good Hope’s exceptional season and has the Raiders (32-2) just one win away from the program’s first-ever state championship.

“That’s what makes them special,” Aby said. “They love to defend and they guard their tails off. They take so much pride in their defense. The twins (Bailey and Heather Tetro) are like gnats. They fly around, make plays, never take plays off. Then, you have a girl like Charly (Johnson), who is our charge-taker. Ivey (Maddox) and Ava (McSwain) … they’re both really good shot blockers.”

Good Hope, which will play T.R. Miller in the Class 4A title game at 4 p.m. on Friday, has certainly defended as if its title hopes have depended on it the past three contests.

During their current run, the Raiders have limited No. 3 Deshler (65.4 PPG) to 45 points, No. 6 Priceville (54 PPG) to 44 points and No. 2 Prattville Christian (55 PPG) to 29 points.

They also outpaced those teams a combined 59-21 in the opening stanza while holding them to 32 percent shooting (8 for 25) and forcing 22 turnovers during those decisive 24 minutes. 

Perhaps Prattville Christian’s Avery Rogers, who contributed to three straight state crowns for the Panthers, summed it up best when heaping praise on Good Hope during the postgame press conference.

“They’re probably one of the best defenses we played all season,” she said. “They’re really, really fast and they’re all over the place. Yeah, they’re really good.”

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SAME BENCH, NEW ROLE

Nina (Mills) Moss is no stranger to Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

The Good Hope graduate played a key role on a pair of Final Four teams in 2011 and 2012 before eventually returning to her alma mater last year as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach.

A torn ACL in the sub-regional round kept Moss out of the 2011 Class 4A semifinal against Midfield, but she scored 17 points in the Red and White’s return trip against Andalusia the next season. Moss garnered All-State honors following each of those two campaigns, helping the Raiders finish a combined 62-7 under former coach Michael Oldacre.

Despite not reaching the state title clash either time, Moss said she couldn’t be more grateful to have had the chance to experience the bright lights and big stage with her teammates more than a decade ago.

“It was something the girls around my age talked about and dreamed about,” she said. “Those girls I played with were some of the best and most competitive girls that I’ve been around. I’ve never forgotten the memories. The relationships you build from that last a lifetime and I’m thankful I had that opportunity. Now, it’s come full circle.

“This is the best group of girls anyone could ever coach. They are selfless, kind and so talented — the hardest workers I’ve ever been around.”

Moss’ first season with the program (2022-23) ended following a heartbreaking defeat to Deshler in the Sweet 16. And while that setback was definitely painful for the Raiders, Moss said it served as motivation for a team that immediately began seeking ways to improve in order to accomplish its ultimate goal.

“I thought that was the hardest loss I’ve ever taken,” she said. “As a player, losing in the Final Four was very upsetting. But as a coach, when you see the work they’ve put in and see it end like that … it’s tough. But I do think it brought them all closer together and made them even more determined this season. Coach (Justin) Aby made it a point to figure out what we needed to do in order to get here (Birmingham). It became, ‘What can we do to prepare them for the end?’ 

“And I think that’s a quality of his that gets overlooked — he wants everything to be about those girls. Coach Aby really does a good job of putting them first. With the talent and the worth ethic, it is all about the players and the hours upon hours they spend in the gym.”

Moss has also formed a special bond with Jolee McHan, who tore her ACL in the first round of the area tournament.

If there’s anyone who understands what the junior has been struggling through, it’s the coach who shares a bench with her.

“I know what it’s like to be happy for your team but not understanding why (me),” she said. “Everything happens for a reason, though, and I fully believe that it’s all made me a more whole coach.”

But as for who would win a clash between this year’s mighty Raiders and one of Moss’ talented groups? 

Well, don’t expect the coach to pat herself on the back.

“This team might hot clock us (laughs), but there would be some bruises,” she said. “They would remember us.”