Two of southwestern Virginia’s most dominant programs continued their respective runs of excellence in Saturday evening’s Class 2 championships at Siegel Center in Richmond.
Central-Wise 57, Greensville County 34
Olivia Mullins scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and Dee Cvetnich totaled 10 points and 13 rebounds to lead Central-Wise over Greensville County 57-34 for its third consecutive state championship.
Mullins scored 12 of her points in the first half, as the Warriors (26-4) rolled to a 30-15 halftime lead and never looked back.
Brook Porter also contributed nine points and five assists to Central’s cause.
“I told this group before the game that I didn’t have anything special to say in order to motivate them,” Central coach Robin Dotson said. “And that’s because I don’t have to say anything. These girls motivate me, and they’ve been very special.”
Mullins, Cvetnich, Porter and Brittany Mullins are all seniors who have helped lead the Warriors to their back-to-back-to-back titles.
Greensville (25-6) was paced by sophomore Jacqueline Hill, who scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds. Classmate Sanijah Robinson finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Lenah Clements added nine points and five rebounds.
Clements was one of only two seniors on the Eagles’ roster this season—a fact that didn’t escape Greensville head coach Sharon Manning-Randolph as she put her team’s campaign into perspective.
“We had a magical season,” she said. “I told the girls we deserved to be here, and we’ll be back. [Central] is just an exceptional team.”
Central-Wise (26-4): Grace Thompson 0, Bayleigh Allison 2, Brittany Mullins 6, Brook Porter 9, Jillian Sturgill 4, Hannah McAmis 3, Gabby Hall 1, Hannah Large 3, Olivia Mullins 13, Hannah Carter 6, Callie Mullins 0, Dee Cvetnich 10. Totals 15 19-26 57.
Greensville County (25-6): Sanijah Robinson 9, Jazlyn Jefferson 0, Jacqueline Hill 9, Kamari Ferguson 0, Danaya Crawley 0, Clynesha Robinson 2, Lenah Clements 9, Kailyn Pleasants 5. Totals 14 5-9 34.
3-pointers: Central-Wise 8 (O. Mullins 3, Porter 2, B. Mullins, McAmis, Large). Greensville County 1 (Clements).
Full Game Box Score Here
Play-by-Play Stat Stream Here
Radford 74, East Rockingham 50
Quinton Morton-Robertson poured in 32 of his game-high 41 points in the first half, and Radford overwhelmed East Rockingham 74-50 for the Class 2 boys title.
Morton-Robertson was hot from the get-go, scoring 10 of the Bobcats’ points in the opening period to push them to a 14-12 advantage. The Radford University commit then erupted for 22 points in the second quarter to blow the game open, going 5 of 6 from 3-point range as the Bobcats opened up a 43-20 lead at halftime.
It's nothing new for Morton-Robertson, who earlier in the week bunched 21 of his game-best 42 points during the fourth quarter against defending champ Gate City. Two years ago as a sophomore, he averaged 25.7 points per game while shooting 52.6% from three-point land during the state playoffs.
Sophomores PJ Prioleau and Cam Cormany added 11 and eight points respectively for Radford (30-0), which defeated defending champion Gate City in Tuesday’s semifinals. This is the Bobcats’ third state championship in the past four years.
“The individual wins and losses don’t mean a thing to me,” Radford coach Rick Cormany said. “But when you’re able to win championships, whether it’s a district, a region or a state championship, that means something. These championships aren’t about me, or Quinton, or anyone else; they’re about our community.”
East Rockingham (26-5) was led by 6-foot-6 freshman Tyler Nickel’s 23 points. The Eagles’ leading scorer, senior Dalton Jefferson, was held to just four points on 3-of-13 shooting before fouling out with five minutes left in the game.
“[Radford] just outplayed us and outcoached us,” East Rockingham coach Carey Keyes said. “But these kids... I love them. They know that. They played hard and weren’t going down without a fight.”
Radford became the first VHSL boys basketball state camp with an unblemished record since Dan River closed the 2013-14 campaign with a 25-0 overall record.
Radford (30-0): Quinton Morton-Robertson 41, Braedan Moore 0, Davon Wood 0, PJ Prioleau 11, Cam Cormany 8, Jeremy Chadwick 0, Jackson McManus 3, Miles Jones 4, Jalen Phillips 0, Alex Kanipe 1, Thor Sproule 4, Andrew Mann 2. Totals 21 21-25 74.
East Rockingham (26-4): Matthew Good 0, Griffin Morris 0, Dylan Williams 1, Collin Wigley 6, Tyler Nickel 23, Tyce McNair 9, Blake Baylor 2, Lane Comer 0, Kyle Evick 0, Dalton Jefferson 4, Isaac Kisling 5, Brandon Smith 0. Totals 18 12-16 50.
3-pointers: Radford 11 (Morton-Robertson 7, Cormany 2, Prioleau, McManus). East Rockingham 2 (McNair, Kisling).
Postgame Presser with Class 2 State Champion Radford Bobcats:
Press Conference with the Radford Bobcats after their 74-50 win over East Rockingham in the VHSL Class 2 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Speaking from left to right were sophomore P.J. Prioleau, Head Coach Rick Cormany, sophomore Cam Cormany and senior Quinton Morton-Robertson.
The Bobcats finished 30-0 overall, becoming the first wire to wire unbeaten State Champion since the VHSL went to six classifications at the start of the 2013-14 campaign and Dan River went 25-0 overall.
One-on-One Interview with Radford PG Quinton Morton-Robertson:
Radford's Quinton Morton-Robertson speaks with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield after his team's 74-50 win over East Rockingham in the VHSL Class 2 State Championship on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Morton-Robertson put forth a performance for the ages, scoring 32 of his game-high 41 points in the first half alone. It came just days after he scored 42 points - with 21 in the fourth quarter - as the Bobcats bounced defending State Champ Gate City from the postseason in the semifinals.
With a free-throw in the fourth quarter, Morton-Robertson reached the 2000-point career plateau at Radford. He'll play his College Basketball next year in-state at Radford University.
One-on-One Interview with Radford Head Coach Rick Cormany:
Radford Coach Rick Cormany chats with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield after his team's 74-50 win over East Rockingham in the VHSL Class 2 State Championship at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
For Coach Cormany, it was his sixth state title with the Bobcats. He now has 692 wins in 26 years with the Bobcats.
Of those six State Championships with Radford, it's the first that saw his team complete an undefeated season. Radford finished 30-0 overall. They're 161-13 over the past six years.
Postgame Presser with Class 2 State Runner-Up East Rockingham Eagles:
Press Conference with East Rockingham after 74-50 loss to Radford in VHSL Class 2 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Speaking from left to right were senior Dalton Jefferson, Head Coach Carey Keyes, freshman Tyler Nickel and junior Tyce McNair.
The Eagles went 26-4 overall and it was the program's first ever trip to the State Championship game.
