In Saturday afternoon’s VHSL Class 1 basketball championships at VCU’s Siegel Center, one team continued its run of dominance, while another reached the top of the mountain for the first time since 2005.
Parry McCluer 58, Surry County 45
Madison Dunlap scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the first half, and Parry McCluer’s girls basketball team held off Surry County down the stretch to win its third consecutive state championship with a 58-45 victory.
Dunlap tallied nine of the Fighting Blues’ first 11 points in the second quarter, helping them turn a narrow 13-10 lead into a 30-19 halftime advantage. She then scored McCluer’s first five points of the third period to extend its edge to 35-21 at the 5:45 mark of the frame.
With McCluer (26-4) threatening to blow the game wide open, Surry (26-5) made its run. Junior Bre’cha Byrd scored the Cougars’ final five points of the third quarter to pull them within 38-32, then muscled her way inside for a layup that again trimmed the Blues’ lead to six, 40-34, with 6:10 remaining in the fourth period.
However, Surry couldn’t get any closer. Emma Camden scored four of McCluer’s next six points to restore its advantage to double digits at 46-36 with 2:30 left in the game, and the Blues coasted from there.
Camden finished the game with 17 points and five steals, and Peyton Mohler contributed 10 points and eight rebounds for McCluer.
“I can’t really say enough about this group,” McCluer coach Adam Gilbert said of the nine seniors on his team’s roster, which includes Dunlap, Camden and Mohler. “It’s been an unbelievable ride the last three years with them.”
For Surry, Byrd led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. Senior Alexis Nelson chipped in eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
“I’m proud of my team for never giving up,” Surry coach Chris Brown said. “We lost to a very good team. [Parry McCluer] isn’t the three-time state champions for nothing.”
This was the second year in a row that McCluer beat Surry for the state championship, and the third consecutive season that the Blues defeated the Cougars in the state tournament.
Press Conference with Class 1 State Champion Parry McCluer Girls:
Parry McCluer Girls Press Conference after win over Surry in Class 1 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
It was the third consecutive state title for Coach Adam Gilbert and his Lady Blues. Parry McCluer wraps up the 2018-19 campaign at 26-4 overall.
Postgame Press Conference with Class 1 State Runner-Up Surry Girls:
Surry Girls Press Conference after 58-45 loss to Parry McCluer in Class 1 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Speaking from left to right - Jasmyn Pierce, Head Coach Chris Brown and Bre'Cha Byrd.
It marked the second straight year Surry was defeated by Parry McCluer in the State Championship and third year in a row the Lady Cougars were eliminated by the Lady Blues in the State Tournament. Surry's season ended at 26-5 overall.
Parry McCluer (26-4): Maggie Patterson 0, Peyton Mohler 10, Hailey Huffman 2, Allison Coleman 3, Emma Camden 17, Ugna Pelikyte 0, Makenna Smith 1, Madison Dunlap 25, Katie Clayton 0, Tristen Clark 0, Jayla Baker 0. Totals 17 22-30 58.
Surry County (26-5): Ajah Lee 0, Maya Drew 3, Bre’cha Byrd 17, Jasmyn Pierce 7, NeOndra’ Kelly 6, JerRhonda King 4, Alexis Nelson 8. Totals 17 8-19 45.
3-pointers: Parry McCluer 2 (Dunlap 2). Surry County 3 (Drew, Pierce, Kelly).
Full Box Score Here
Play-by-Play Here
Surry County 57, Eastside 48
Three Surry County boys basketball players scored in double figures, leading the Cougars to a 57-48 victory over Eastside for their first state title since 2005 under the late great Joe Ellis.
In a game that featured nine ties and 15 lead changes, it was the final minutes of the fourth quarter that separated the two teams.
After Eastside’s Ethan Powers tied the score at 45 apiece on a pair of free throws with 4:10 left to play, Surry (29-2) finished the game on a 12-1 run. Seniors Monte Pope and QuanDriel Palmer scored five and four points, respectively, during the stretch.
Palmer led the Cougars with 16 points, while Pope added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Pope hit buzzer-beaters in the previous playoff wins over Riverheads in the quarterfinals and over Rappahannock in overtime during the semifinals. Though it was a nip-and-tuck battle for much of the way, there would be no heroics at the end of regulation this time needed for Surry to prevail.
Another senior, Zhamare’ Slade, racked up a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 forward brought the Surry faithful—who packed the Siegel Center—to their feet with a thunderous dunk late in the game that punctuated the Cougars’ victory.
Eastside (26-5) appeared poised to win its first state championship in school history after coming up short against Lancaster in last year’s title game. Powers, a junior, was the main reason why. He knocked down five 3-pointers through the first three quarters to stake the Spartans to a 40-37 advantage, and finished with a game-high 22 points.
Senior Chris Swann added nine points and 10 rebounds for Eastside.
No team at the Class 1 level beat Surry the entire season. Their only two losses came by one possession to Cape Henry, a private school in the Tidewater area, and Norview, a Class 5 program where current Surry coach and athletic director James Pope was once an assistant coach.
Eastside (26-5): Grayson Whited 1, JR Kilgore 8, Nick Livingston 6, Chris Swann 9, Ethan Powers 22, Connor Blevins 2, Garrett Whited 0. Totals 16 7-10 48.
Surry County (29-2): Monte Pope 14, Xavier Brown 3, Khamari Palmer 0, Tramaz Tynes 1, QuanDriel Palmer 16, Jalen Wright 0, Brandon Drew 9, Zhamare’ Slade 14. Totals 20 11-17 57.
3-pointers: Eastside 9 (Powers 5, Kilgore 2, Livingston, Swann). Surry County 6 (Pope 2, Drew 2, Brown, Slade).
Full Box Score
Play-by-Play Here
Postgame Press Conference with Class 1 State Champion Surry Cougars:
Surry Press Conference after 57-48 win over Eastside in Class 1 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
It was the first state title for the Cougars since 2005 under the late great Joe Ellis when ironically won by the same exact score over Twin Springs.
Speaking from left to right - Zhamare Slade, Monte Pope, Head Coach James Pope and QuanDriel Palmer.
The Cougars finished the season with a record of 29-2 overall.
One-On-One Interview with Surry Head Coach James Pope after win:
Surry Head Basketball Coach and Athletic Director James Pope chats with ESPN Radio 94.1's Matt Hatfield and Coach Ed Young after his team's 57-48 win over Eastside in the VHSL Class 1 State Championship on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
For the Cougars, it was their first state title in 14 years and capped a 29-2 season where their only losses were by one possession each to private school power Cape Henry and Norview, a regional semifinalist in Class 5.
Postgame Press Conference with Class 1 State Runner-Up Eastside Spartans:
Eastside Press Conference after 57-48 loss to Surry in VHSL Class 1 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
The Spartans finished as State Tournament runner-up in Class 1 for the second year in a row. They fell to Lancaster in the 2018 State Championship. Eastside went 26-5 overall.
