Thursday evening’s Class 4 state championships featured returns to glory for two programs rich with tradition.

Jazmyn Doster and Jordan Poole both posted double-doubles to propel Lake Taylor to a dominating 61-29 victory over Pulaski County for the Class 4 Girls State Championship at VCU’s Siegel Center.

A 6-foot-2 senior, Doster had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Poole, a junior, totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Titans (30-1) never trailed in the game, racing to a 30-10 halftime lead against the overmatched Cougars (22-9).

Senior Chaniqwa Gilliam also had a big game for Lake Taylor, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Pulaski County - which started no seniors - was led by junior guard Alaina Akers’s nine points and six rebounds. Freshman Ally Fleenor chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.

The Cougars were held to an 8-for-50 (16%) shooting performance on the night by the Titans, and they piled up 25 turnovers.

This is Lake Taylor’s fourth state championship, but its first since 2014. This one was had a special meaning for longtime coach Saundra Sawyer. The Titans suffered two significant injuries during their journey to the likes of Asia Johnson and Ja'Naiya 'J.J.' Quinerly, a sophomore with numerous Division I offers.

Pulaski County (22-9): Ally Fleenor 8, Erin Russell 0, Kassidy Secrist 6, Alaina Akers 9, Maddie Ratcliff 2, Alicia Noble 0, Taryn Blankenship 4, Courtney Cregger 0. Totals 8 11-12 29.

Lake Taylor (30-1): Desire Short 5, Jordan Poole 13, DeAisjah Somerville 5, Chaniqwa Gilliam 16, Chavelle Mason 0, Ashanti Barnes 5, Tania Trotman 0, Jazmyn Doster 17,. Totals 21 14-22 61.

3-pointers: Pulaski County 2 (Akers). Lake Taylor 5 (Poole 2, Short, Somerville, Gilliam).

Full Box Score Here
Play-by-Play Here

Lake Taylor Head Girls Basketball Coach Saundra Sawyer along with players - Chaniqwa Gilliam and Jazmyn Doster - react after their 61-29 victory over Pulaski County in the VHSL Class 4 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

For Coach Sawyer, it was her fourth state title. Including their three victories in the Eastern District Tournament to begin the 2018-19 campaign, the Lady Titans went 30-1 overall.

Lake Taylor Head Girls Basketball Coach Saundra Sawyer chats with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield following her 4th state title on Thursday, March 7, 2019. That gives the Sawyer household six state titles as her husband - Lake Taylor Head Football Coach Hank Sawyer - has a pair of rings as well.

Shunta Wilson exploded for 15 of his game-high 29 points over the final 10 minutes of play to lift GW-Danville to a 55-44 victory over Louisa in the the Class 4 boys title game.

Louisa (26-5) had embarked on a 10-0 run over a two-minute span in the third quarter to take its first lead of the game at 32-31 with 2:45 left on the clock. A 3-pointer from the left wing and a driving layup by senior Chris Shelton punctuated the spurt.

But GW (27-2) answered decisively with a run of its own. It began when Wilson rebounded a missed shot with a two-handed dunk. The 6-foot-3 senior then nailed a long triple from the right wing just before the period ended to give his team a 38-32 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

Once the fourth quarter began, Wilson picked up right where he’d left off, delivering a pair of acrobatic layups that handed the Eagles a 42-32 lead.

At the other end of the floor, the Lions found a lid on the basket. Louisa missed its first nine shots in the period, until Shelton’s short jumper in the lane ended a 7-minute, 16-second scoring drought at the 3:28 mark.

The scoring struggles were indicative of the kind of night the Lions had, as they made just 17 of 62 (27%) shots in the game.

“I watched film on [Louisa], so I knew that Chris Shelton was a shooter,” GW coach Jermaine Parker said. “I felt like if we could close out on him at the 3-point line, we’d be okay. We have a lot of length, so I always tell the guys to extend their arms and keep their feet moving, and everything else will take care of itself.”

Ny’rek Wheeler racked up 14 points and 16 rebounds to complement Wilson’s night. The 6-foot-5 senior made life difficult around the basket for Louisa, often altering shot attempts when the Lions’ smaller guards drove into the paint.

Shelton led Louisa with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but was held to a 7-for-23 shooting performance, which included a 2-for-10 outing from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter had connected on a total of 11 treys in Louisa’s state tournament wins over Churchland and defending champion Lake Taylor.

Junior guard Xavien Hunter added 10 points for the Lions, but made just 4 of 18 shot attempts.

“What we were able to accomplish this season was amazing,” Louisa Head Coach Robert Shelton said. “We made it to the State Championship game for the first time since 1994, and we won our first region championship since then. I think we played good enough to win [tonight], but I think there were some situations that we wished we could’ve had back. But I’m proud of my kids. We just ran up against a team that was pretty talented.”

The state championship is GW’s first since 1998. The significance of that fact was not lost on Parker, an alumnus of the school.

“To win one for the first time in 21 years here, it’s a dream come true,” he said. “I told the guys in the locker room after the game that, tonight, the dream is a reality.”

GW-Danville (27-2): Cadrein Cunningham 0, Kapone Barley 3, Carlos Poole 2, Carl Poole 0, Nise’Re Waddell 0, Shunta Wilson 29, Wesley Graves 0, Meco Wiggins 0, Taevon Walden 7, Ny’rek Wheeler 14, Tamasjai Reaves 0, Tyler McDuffie 0. Totals 16 20-32 55

Louisa (26-5): Jarett Hunter 8, Chris Shelton 20, Xavien Hunter 10, Isaac Haywood 2, Mark Carter 0, Shylek Washington 4, Price Straley 0, Terry Neely 0, Mahlik Munnerlyn 0, Michael Weakley 0, Marcus Carter 0. Totals 17 5-7 44.

3-pointers: GW-Danville 3 (Wilson 3). Louisa 5 (Shelton 2, X. Hunter 2, J. Hunter).

Full Box Score Here
Play-by-Play Here

Press Conference with the GW-Danville Eagles following their 55-44 win over Louisa in the VHSL Class 4 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

The win gave GW-Danville its first state title since 1998. They finished 27-2 overall under second-year Head Coach Jermaine Parker.

Speaking from left to right - Ny'rek Wheeler, Shaunta Wilson, Coach Parker and Taevon Walden.

Press Conference with the Louisa Lions after their 55-44 loss to George Washington-Danville in the VHSL Class 4 State Championship at VCU's Siegel Center on Thursday, March 7, 2019. It was the program's first appearance in the State Championship game since 1994.

Speaking from left to right were junior Jarett Hunter, Head Coach Robert Shelton and senior Chris Shelton.

The Lions finished 26-5 overall.