SCORING GIANT: Catholic's Smith enters Regional final with eyes set on scoring record

With a big game against Pleasant Grove on Tuesday or if the Catholic Knights advance to the AHSAA State Finals, Hannah Smith could become the top scorer among players in the River Region small schools. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

As she prepares for Tuesday’s Central Regional final with Pleasant Grove, Catholic senior Hannah Smith has one goal in mind.

“My mindset is to win,” she said. “I need to win state. This is my last ride and I have to push myself and my teammates harder.”

Catholic (21-6) will play Pleasant Grove (22-8) at Alabama State’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Tuesday at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to the state tournament at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

Smith and her Catholic teammates were in this position a year ago, falling short against Trinity. But Smith is a different player this year, one that can better handle the adversity and attention she will face from the Spartans on Tuesday afternoon.

“I really had to get stronger,” she said. “Knowing that I’m going to play at the next level, I can’t have that weak mentality.” 

There’s another goal that drives Smith, a personal goal that is left unsaid but is always in the back of her mind. In 1989, St. James’ Leslie Claybrook established one of the most hallowed records in River Region basketball, becoming the area’s all-time leading scorer. A year later, Catholic’s Michelle Delongchamp topped Claybrook by 17 points, taking over the scoring title with 2,685 points.

With 34 points, Smith can top both players. 

“Honestly, I want to beat the record,” she said. “I’ve been trying my hardest to score because I really want to beat the record.” 

Her coach, Courtney Ward, was one of the best to ever play the game when she was at Jeff Davis in the mid-2000s. Now, she’s working with Smith to improve her game.

“Getting the job (this year), a lot of people were telling me (about Smith),” Ward said. “She had committed to Troy and I told her from the jump, my job now is to coach you for the next level. We want to win a championship and do well as a team, but you’ve got bigger and better things to go after.

“It definitely puts her in a category (near the top) of the many that have come through this city and the greatness of what they could provide as they went on to the next level. She’s put in the work, she goes hard. She faced a challenge (in a recent game) when they were playing a box-and-one, then putting two people on her and then they pretty much had three people on her. That’s a learning process for her, but it also lets her know she’s one of the best players in Alabama.”

Trinity coach Blake Smith, who had two daughters ranked ahead of Hannah Smith in career scoring at the beginning of the season, said he has seen a change in the Catholic senior this season.

“She has upped her game,” Blake Smith said. “I think Courtney has helped her with that. She’s far more controlled. She’s always been a raw, aggressive athlete but she has harnessed that and I would say that girl is a basketball player. And she competes. But despite always being a great competitor, it’s always been classy. I respect her a ton.”

Blake Smith’s Wildcats defeated Hannah Smith’s Knights in an area matchup at Trinity in late January. Even then, as Blake’s third daughter, Lilly, applied the defensive pressure, Hannah Smith still managed 22 points, part of the matchup problem everyone has in containing the Catholic standout.

“She hit a couple of 3s, then she hit a pullup jump shot that was beautiful,” Blake Smith said. “I thought Lilly did a great job contesting it, without fouling, and she still hit it. That girl, other than my team, may be my favorite player. I would take her to war with me.”

Catholic point guard Jordan Robinson feels the same way, sometimes getting caught up in watching Hannah Smith’s artistry around the basket.

“I sometimes watch her mid-game and forget I’m playing,” Robinson said. “She has that takeover mentality and I like it.”

Hannah Smith signed during the early-signing period with Troy, crediting head coach Chanda Rigby with her decision.

“The coaching staff are lovely people and they’re a winning program,” Smith said. “I want to be with a winning program. They really love me and the aggression I bring in.”

Before she continues her career with the Trojans, she wants to earn a trip to the state toutrnament in Birmingham and become the area’s all-time leading scorer. She believes Ward can help deliver on the first goal which will, in turn, take care of the second goal.

“Honestly, since she’s been here, it’s been a little better because she pushes us harder and knows we have the potential to do better than what we are,” Smith said. “She pushes us the extra mile.”

2,000-POINT CLUB (Senior year/Small Schools in River Regions)

Michelle Delongchamp, Catholic -- 2,685 (1990)

Leslie Claybrook, St. James -- 2,668 (1989)

Hannah Smith, Catholic -- 2,652 (2026)

Maddie Smith, Trinity -- 2,512 (2025)

Ava Card, St. James -- 2,272 (2024)

Emma Kate Smith, Trinity -- 2,270 (2023)

Ella Jane Connell, PCA -- 2,253 (2022)

Julie Harrington, Trinity -- 2,170 (1990)

Chloe Johnson, Montgomery Academy -- 2,161 (2022)

Kaitlyn Reyes, PCA -- 2,124 (2019)

Christina Hayes, ACA -- 2,009 (2009)

Carlie Ainsworth, ACA -- 2,005 (2007)