L.C. Bird Started Fast, Finished Strong in Win Over Varina

In the Conference 12 tournament championship last season, the Varina Blue Devils upended the very talented L.C. Bird Skyhawks, 50-35. Both teams were given a pass to the regional tournament, with Bird eventually landing in the 5A state championship, but it was a loss that the Skyhawks wouldn’t forget.

Wednesday night, Bird redeemed itself by heading over to Varina High School and getting a 58-47 victory in front of the Blue Devil fans.

Though Bird didn’t dwell on the tournament loss from the prior season, Skyhawks senior guard Mario Haskett felt it did give the team an added piece of motivation throughout the week.

“We just thought about last game, thought about the feeling we felt after the game, and just used it to push ourselves in practice to get better,” Haskett said.

The Harvard commit scored 13 points and had four assists, while backcourt mate Pinky Wiley hit four of the team’s 10 first-half 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points.

Bird stormed out to a quick 9-0 lead, and Varina found itself playing catch up the rest of the game. The Skyhawks led 36-25 at halftime and seemed poised to cruise their way to victory.

However, the Blue Devils weren’t done just yet. They outscored Bird 14-6 in the third quarter and trailed by just three entering the fourth. The Varina fans, which were quiet throughout the night, started to inch closer to the edge of their seats.

But that momentum didn’t last long.

While Wiley helped set the tone early on for Bird, Haskett turned it up a notch late in the game. He started putting pressure on the defense by attacking the basket and getting to the charity stripe. Scoring 10 of his points in the second half, Haskett knew the onus was on him to put the team on his back.

“I think it was just time for me to grow up, take on the senior leadership role,” Haskett said. “My team, they were just going through me, so I took it on.”

Bird head coach Troy Manns said he didn’t expect anything less from Haskett and Wiley, as they make up two of the seven seniors on the Skyhawks’ roster.

“They’ve been here four years; they’ve been through the battles -- there’s nothing they haven’t seen,” Manns said. “That was the expectation for them to lead us, and then everyone else would fall in.”

Even though it felt good to get the victory, Wiley understands that it’s a long season ahead.

“It’s a good win, but we’re looking to our next game,” he said. “We’re not dwelling on the past, we’re moving forward.”

Varina was led by senior forward Kenneth Southerland, who had a team-high 14 points. Andre Watkins and Samond Pinchback both chipped in with 8 apiece.

Bird (2-0) gets to enjoy its win for 10 days before getting back to action, as the Skyhawks will head to Newport News to face Woodside on Dec. 17. Varina (2-1), on the other hand, will travel to Henrico Friday night to play the undefeated (4-0) Warriors.

L.C. Bird 58: (2-0 Overall)

Pinky Wiley – 22 points, 3 assists

Mario Haskett – 13 points, 4 assists, 2 steals

Jaylen Dillard – 9 points

Cam Henry – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

Jyles Webster – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Jay Robinson – 2 points

Varina 47: (2-1 Overall)

Kenneth Southerland – 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Andre Watkins – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists 2 steals

Samond Pinchback – 8 points, 1 block

Charles Tart – 7 points,

Kenard Richardson – 6 points

Tyrese Jenkins – 2 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

Zion Ross – 2 points

Josiah Turner is a Personalization Writer for ESPN and alum of Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined the staff of VirginiaPreps.com in December of 2016 and previously contributed game recaps to the site during the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter @ JosiahsTurn.