LIVE AAA Final Four Blog - Session 1
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style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>6:00
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Well, that's going
to do it for Session 1 of the VHSL Group AAA State Tournament Hoops Blog here
on VirginiaPreps.com. It's time for me
now to get some food and rest up for the next set of games, which will commence
at 7:00 PM when Princess Anne Girls will take on Stonewall Jackson, followed by
John Marshall Boys face Wakefield in the Final Four.
href="http://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">Twitter @ hatfieldsports
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=914&CID=1479362">Session
2 LIVE Blog this evening for further Updates, Stats and Analysis!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>5:00
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Here are the Final
Numbers from Central Region Champ Henrico's victory over Northern Region Champ
W.T. Woodson in the Boys AAA Hoops State Tournament Semis at the Verizon
Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center on the campus of VCU.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Final
Stats:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico
Warriors 75:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (29-2 Overall)
Timmy Jones - - 21Pts. 8-8FG, 2-2 3's, 3-4FT, 5Ast.
Jordon Talley - - 16Pts. 5-8FG, 5-6FT, 3Ast.
Marvin Smith Jr. - - 15Pts. 4-12FG, 7-11FT, 11Reb.
R.J. Moses - - 8Pts. 3-4FG, 2-2 3's
Stephen Booker - - 7Pts. 3-6FG, 1-3FT, 5Reb.
Ryan Pearson - - 6Pts. 2-4FG, 2-2 3's, 2Reb.
Warriors - - 25-46FG, 7-9 3's, 18-26FT, 29Reb. 9Ast. 9TO's,
3Blk. 2Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>W.T.
Woodson Cavaliers 65:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (25-5 Overall)
Michael Hansler - - 17Pts. 6-8FG, 5-6FT, 3Reb. 2Ast
class=GramE>.
Peter Murray - - 14Pts. 4-9FG, 2-3 3's, 4-6FT, 8Reb.
Eric Bowles - - 14Pts. 5-9FG, 3-5FT, 2Reb. 3Ast
class=GramE>.
Tommy Stepka - - 12Pts. 4-14FG, 2-7 3's, 2-3FT,
10Reb. 3Stl.
Cavs - - 22-57FG, 7-23 3's, 14-20FT, 31Reb. 10Ast. 9TO's,
4Blk. 7Stl.
href="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/914/1372031.WMA">Postgame Presser with
Henrico Warriors
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Just looking at the numbers, most all of the stat
categories were much even other than shooting percentage as Henrico hit on
54.3% compared to 38.6% for W.T. Woodson.
Even bigger was the blistering 7-of-9 on 3's by Henrico, while Woodson
shot just 30.4% from long distance. Jones
had the perfect shooting night at 8-of-8, plus handed out five assists compared
to only one turnover. That's about as
efficient as it gets right there.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Woodson didn't get the typical shooting nights from
class=SpellE>Stepka and Alex Boock, which made
things difficult, but they didn't turn it over a ton and won the battle on the
boards by two. Amazingly, Henrico didn't
attempt a single there-pointer in the second half, which shows they were
looking to attack the goal as much as possible, leading to 25 free-throw
attempts, 21 of them in the second half.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Both of these teams are extremely well coached, which
as we touched on in the Preview, is a credit to Vance Harmon at Henrico and his
staff as well as Doug Craig at Woodson and his staff.
style=> They're also senior-laden; Woodson loses eight
and will dearly miss the likes of Stepka, Murray and
class=SpellE>Hansler, who played tremendous (
normal'>and is under recruited), along with some others.
style=> They do have Bowles back and he's a point
guard to watch out for in the future.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico is poised to win it all in my opinion after
watching them adapt from playing one style of team in Kecoughtan
to a totally opposite in Woodson without having any real serious lull at any
point in the game. Their 25-12 second
quarter was sparked by the reserves in Pearson and Moses, and their senior
leadership of Jones, Talley and Smith carried them home.
style=> Whoever plays them for the title on Friday
night, John Marshall or Wakefield, will have to be at
the top of its game to defeat them by my estimation.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:45
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Back to the foul
lien with 19.3 seconds left goes All-Central Region First Team pick
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Timmy Jones for Henrico.
style=> Jones swishes a pair to push the Warriors'
lead to 74-65 on W.T. Woodson.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We've seen two real worthy teams battle it out in this
one, and in the battle of styles, Henrico's was just a bit stronger when the
fourth quarter rolled around. The game
has pretty much gone as I expected, figuring Woodson would be able to stay
close and give a good fight for three quarters, though in the end, just too
much speed and dribble penetration for Henrico.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Coach Craig empties out his bench and the Woodson fans
that made the trip down give a well deserved round of applause for their
seniors that exit, and in particular the forward duo of
normal'>Tommy Stepka and
normal'>Peter Murray.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico prevails and will be moving on to Friday night's
State Championship versus either John Marshall or Wakefield.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>BOYS AAA HOOPS SEMIS FINAL - - HENRICO
75, W.T. WOODSON 65
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Back with some Final Stats in a little bit - - don't go
anywhere!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:37
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Trying to ice it at
the foul line, Timmy Jones makes
1-of-2 with 38 seconds left for Henrico to increase their lead to 71-61.
style=> Rather quickly, W.T. Woodson responds with
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Michael Hansler scoring
down at the other end for the Cavs to cut the deficit to eight with 31.2
seconds left.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The fan sections for both schools, W.T. Woodson and
Henrico, have made for an electric atmosphere here at the Siegel Center.
style=> Have to give them a shout-out because the
action in this one has truly been nonstop at least it feels that way.
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Hansler
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
just fouled out for Woodson, but he's nothing to be ashamed of; he's played
excellent in this one. He's one of eight
seniors that Coach Doug Craig is
going to miss dearly as the Northern Region Champion Cavs will close out a marvelous
25-5 season in a loss to Henrico here in the Final Four.
style=> They just ran out of gas at the end, and
Henrico's ability to push tempo and get to the rim almost seemingly at will was
one of the main differences here today.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:32
PM:
style=> All Henrico has to do is protect the
basketball, close out on three-point shooters and
convert free-throws to hang on and move to the next round.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Leading by five approaching the two minute mark,
Henrico looks to kill some clock and then it's guard
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Jordon Talley finding
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Stephen Booker open for the deuce on a
wonderful pass. The Henrico guards make
so many big-time plays. Even though they
aren't huge in stature and getting D-1 looks, they have enormous sized hearts
and lay it on the line every possession for their team.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico can smell a date in Friday night's AAA title
game at 9 PM at the Siegel Center against the winner of John
Marshall/Wakefield.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:27
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We're seeing superb
play on both sides in this one as W.T. Woodson gets closer on a pair of
free-throws by Mike Hansler
to bring them down just three, 58-55, with 4:49 left to play.
style=> Mr. Utility,
normal'>Stephen Booker, gets a basket inside the painted area for Henrico
and is fouled. Booker's hoop pushes it
back up to a five-point lead for Henrico.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Warriors extend their advantage as it is
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Marvin Smith Jr. sinking a couple of
free-throws and Timmy Jones continuing
his brilliant postseason with a floater to give Henrico a 64-56 lead after
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Eric Bowles made 1-of-2 at the foul
line for W.T. Woodson.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>W.T. Woodson won't be out-worked at all in this one as
class=GramE>it's Peter Murray with
the blue-collar, old-fashioned three-point play to trim a Henrico lead to 64-59
with 3:38 left to go in the game.
Following that, it's Mike
class=SpellE>Hansler drawing a charge for Woodson, but the Cavs miss
a couple of golden opportunities to draw closer and that could ultimately sting
them. Woodson has missed a handful of
shots right around the rim as fatigue is setting in I believe.
style=>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:20
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To begin the fourth
quarter, Henrico goes to its two star guards,
normal'>Tim Jones and Jordon Talley,
for offensive production and they deliver with buckets to push the Warriors'
advantage to 56-48 on a resilient W.T. Woodson bunch.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With 6:16 to go in the fourth quarter, it's
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Tommy Stepka striking
on a three-point shot for W.T. Woodson to trim that deficit to five and then
Jones scores again to make it 58-51 for Henrico.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Warriors lead it by seven with 5:30 remaining.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:13
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With W.T. Woodson having
a chance to pull within a possession down, trailing Henrico 50-45 with a minute
left in the third quarter, sophomore point guard
normal'>Eric Bowles is called for an offensive foul as he goes into the
teeth of the defense. Woodson's fan Calvary
wanted a basket and-one. I'm not so sure
about that call to be honest (a little on
the questionable side perhaps).
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Bowles made an extra dribble on that drive that he might
not have needed, but Coach Doug Craig does
not like the call and lets the referee that made the call hear his opinion as
he walk by him on the other end. That
was a big swing for Woodson as it could've brought them within there and
instead they could go down seven with 24.1 seconds to play in this third
quarter as Jordon Talley will shoot
at pair of free-throws.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Tally makes the foul shots, but at the buzzer it's
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Peter Murray swishing a three-pointer
from way downtown. We've got a good one
here at the Siegel Center!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
3rdQ - - Henrico 52, W.T. Woodson 48
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>4:05
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We get a time-out
in the action with Henrico ahead 50-42 with 3:07 to go
in the third quarter on W.T. Woodson as the Cavs are starting to slowly but
surely inch their way closer.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Mike Hansler is
making some plays on offense for Woodson with 11 points, and also with 11 is
sophomore guard Eric Bowles, who
continues to impress and play with poise against two of the best Central Region
guards in Jordon Talley and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Timmy Jones.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Marvin
Smith Jr.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>misses a couple of free-throws and Woodson has a chance
to get closer late in the third quarter.
They do as Bowles penetrates and kicks to an open
normal'> Peter Murray for 3 - - it's only a 50-45 lead now for Henrico with
1:58 to go in the third quarter. The
Woodson fan section, which has been amazing (
normal'>it looks like a scene out of 'Hoosiers' folks), is starting to
really roar its approval. Henrico's fan
section - - strong, but not quite has big - - has made plenty of noise today at
the Siegel Center, too.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:59
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To start the second
half, W.T. Woodson goes on a 6-0 run and does so with
normal'>Mike Hansler,
normal'>Eric Bowles and Peter Murray
all getting in the scoring column.
That's just the way they needed to begin the third quarter, but Coach
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Vance Harmon at the other end is not
liking what he sees, asking for a time-out less than a minute into the quarter
and the Henrico lead down to 42-35.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Out of the time-out, Henrico gets back to what they do
best and that is run, run and run some more, plus attacking the basket with
multiple ball-handlers and all five guys on the floor crashing the glass,
particularly senior Marvin Smith Jr. and
freshman De'Monte
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Buckingham, an unsung performer that
has really stepped up once again today.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A pull-up jumper is canned by
normal'>Stephen Booker after a Smith put-back, and
normal'>Jordon Talley swats a three-point attempt in the corner for W.T.
Woodson. A long miss and all of the
sudden Henrico is back up double-figures, 48-36.
style=> Bowles finds
normal'>Peter Murray for a three-pointer and things are tightening up
again.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:50
PM:
style=> Here are the numbers at the break as the
Henrico Warriors are 16 minutes away from advancing to Friday night's AAA State
Championship against the winner of John Marshall/Wakefield.
style=> Woodson will have to make a magical comeback
to get there.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stats
at the Half:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico
42:
Timmy Jones - - 10Pts. 4-4FG, 2-2 3's, 4Ast.
Marvin Smith Jr. - - 9PTs. 3-5FG, 3-3FT, 5Reb.
Jordon Talley - - 9Pts. 3-6FG, 2-2FT
R.J. Moses - - 8Pts. 3-3FG, 2-2 3's
Ryan Pearson - - 6Pts. 2-3FG, 2-2 3's
Warriors - - 15-26FG, 7-9 3's, 5-5FT, 15Reb. 6Ast. 4TO's, 1Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>W.T.
Woodson 29:
Eric Bowles - - 7Pts. 3-6FG, 1-1 3's, 2Ast.
Tommy Stepka - - 7Pts. 3-6FG, 1-4 3's, 4Reb. 2Stl.
Alex Boock - - 6Pts. 2-5FG, 2-5 3's
Michael Hansler - - 6Pts. 3-4FG
Cavs - - 12-26FG, 4-10 3's, 1-4FT, 11Reb. 6Ast. 5TO's, 4Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>From an offensive standpoint, you can't ask or much
more if you're Henrico as the Warriors connected on 5-of-6 three-pointers in
that second quarter. W.T. Woodson, which
had hit 17 3's over the past two games, made 2-of-4 in that second quarter.
style=> Offensively, Woodson has gotten mostly what
they want. Defensively though, the Cavs
are searching for some answers as they gave up only 52 points in the entire
game in the quarters vs. Battlefield and have allowed 42 in this one in one
half of play.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Jones and Talley are really pushing the pace well for
Henrico and Woodson cannot get in a track meet with Henrico and survive.
style=> The Warriors really got some major lifts from
the likes of Pearson and Moses with their outside shooting.
style=> That's opened up some drives to the cup as
well. The first 3-4 minutes of the
second half will be awfully pivotal for W.T. Woodson to stay within striking distance
or this can become a rout really quickly.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:46
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>What a burst to
close the first half by Vance Harmon's
Henrico Warriors, looking like a State Championship squad as each minute gets
close to Friday night. They closed the
first half on an 18-5 run.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>At
the Half - - Henrico 42, W.T. Woodson 29
line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll have some stats in just a few moments.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:42
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>After W.T. Woodson
tied the score at 24, Henrico went to its bench and
got not one spark, but two of them.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>R.J. Moses hits a three-pointer to put
them ahead on a dish from Timmy Jones and
then it's the freshman De'Monte
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Buckingham making a great defensive
play at the other end.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Alex
Boock
line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>drills a three-pointer for
W.T. Woodson to cut the Henrico lead to 29-27.
Then it is Stephen Booker connecting
from long range twice following a Jones basket.
That gives Henrico a 37-27 lead.
Booker and Moses are real sparkplugs in this one for Henrico, providing
some great outside shooting to demoralize the Woodson defense.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:38
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It appears Henrico
is well on its way to their average of 79 points per game given how easily they
are getting up and down the court in this second quarter, plus stretching the
defense with some 3's.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A Timmy Jones three-pointer
was sandwiched in between a Jordon
Talley lay-up and Marvin Smith floater
that gave Henrico a 24-17 lead with 6:25 to go in the second quarter.
style=> W.T. Woodson is struggling
not so much to get back in transition, but to 'stop ball,' as the coaches would
say.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Kudos to the Cavs for responding though as they go on a
7-0 run with sophomore point guard Eric
Bowles making a three-pointer and then delivering a pretty pass to
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Tommy Stepka to
tie the score at 24-apiece. I like this
Bowles kid; he's one to watch in 2015 with his quickness and ability to attack
the basket or dish to an open an. He's
got D-1 potential for sure.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:30
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>At the end of the
first quarter, W.T. Woodson senior forward Peter
Murray, one of the grittiest players you're going to find in the Northern
Region or the state for that matter, makes a heads up play by drawing a foul on
a three-point shot from beyond half-court before time runs out in the period.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Unfortunately for Murray, he misses the first two from
the free-throw line before making the last one to tie the score.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
1stQ - - W.T. Woodson 17, Henrico 17
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Woodson shot 50% from the field and turned it over only
twice, but got beat on the boards 8-6 that quarter and both
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Marvin Smith Jr. and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Timmy Jones scored five points
apiece. Coach
normal'>Doug Craig of the Cavs has to like the fact his team is getting
some quality shots offensively, but the tempo is in favor of Henrico and I'm
not sure Woodson can keep up with this pace for a full 32 minutes, nor get
enough stops to win.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:25
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Forward
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Tommy Stepka,
one of the best shooters out of the Northern Region, scores inside the arc and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Mike Hanser gets
a bucket on the next possession to give W.T. Woodson a 13-9 lead.
style=> The Cavs are executing near flawlessly in the
half-court with their back-cuts, moving without the basketball and running some
Flex sets to perfection.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Henrico is getting some mighty fine looks against their
defense though as R.J. Moses sinks a
three-pointer and so does Timmy Jones,
an All-Central Region guard who came through with some enormous plays in their
rally vs. Kecoughtan in the AAA State Tournament
quarterfinals last Thursday night. Guard
Jordon Talley gives Henrico its
first lead at 17-16 with 44.3 seconds left in the first quarter.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:15
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To get things
started for W.T. Woodson, it's Alex
class=SpellE>Boock drilling a three-pointer followed by an
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Eric Bowles lay-up and surprisingly
Henrico finds themselves in an early 5-0 hole.
style=> The Warriors rally behind senior forward
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Marvin Smith Jr., who often puts up
double-figure numbers in points and rebounds for Henrico.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It's a back-and-forth, frenetic pace out of the gate
and that's great news if you're a Henrico fan/supporter because that's how they
want to play for a majority of these 32 minutes.
style=> Eric
Bowles of Woodson and R.J. Moses trade
buckets and we're deadlocked at 9 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>3:10
PM:
style=> We're about five minutes away from tip-off
between Central Region Champion Henrico (28-2) and Northern Region Champion W.T.
Woodson (25-4) in the AAA State Tournament Final Four at the VCU Siegel Center.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Before we get to that, let's review the numbers from
Lake Taylor's Lady Titans defeating the Colonial Forge Lady Eagles to punch
their ticket to Friday night's Girls AAA Hoops State Championship against
either Stonewall Jackson or Princess Anne.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Final
Stats:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lake
Taylor Lady Titans 64:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (27-1 Overall)
Feyonda Fitzgerald - - 27Pts. 11-24FG, 1-3 3's,
4-8FT, 6Reb. 6Ast. 3Stl.
Kyara Cooper - - 12Pts. 5-9FG, 2-5 3's, 9Reb. 2Ast
class=GramE>.
Endia McKinney - - 10Pts. 5-9FG, 8Reb. 2Ast
class=GramE>.
Jordan Mitchell-Harmel - - 8Pts. 3-5FG, 2-2Ft, 16Reb.
2Ast.
Courtney White - - 7Pts. 3-10FG, 6Reb.
Lady Titans - - 27-60FG, 4-16 3's, 6-10FT, 53Reb.
class=GramE>12Ast. 16TO's, 3Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Colonial
Forge Lady Eagles 49:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (26-4 Overall)
Nia Washington - - 16Pts. 5-13FG, 2-6 3's, 4-5FT,
5Reb. 5Stl.
Nichole Collins - - 11Pts. 4-11FG, 3-9 3's, 2Reb.
Kenya Holland - - 10Pts. 4-15FG, 2-10 3's, 2Reb. 7Ast. 5Stl.
Kara Campbell - - 7Pts. 3-5FG, 1-3 3's, 4Reb.
Lady Eagles - - 18-60FG, 8-32 3's, 5-9FT, 25Reb.
class=GramE>12Ast. 8TO's, 10Stl.
href="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/914/1372034.WMA">Postgame Presser with
the Lake Taylor Lady Titans
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The name of the game was rebounding for Lake
Taylor. They absolutely controlled the
boards from start to finish and were too much for a Colonial Forge team that
intends on being back here.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lake Taylor got great play inside from Mitchell-
class=SpellE>Harmel as well as McKinney, both of whom nearly registered
double-doubles. Fitzgerald put up 27
points and didn't even have her best game.
Cooper was a threat shooting it from deep, and the Lady Titans were just
fine with Colonial Forge living from behind the three-point line; they got just
10 field goals inside the arc compared to 23 for Lake Taylor.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>2:45
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It's now in the
books - - the Lake Taylor Lady Titans are officially moving on to Friday's AAA
Girls Hoops State Championship against either Stonewall Jackson or Princess
Anne.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>GIRLS AAA HOOPS SEMIS FINAL - - LAKE
TAYLOR 64, COLONIAL FORGE 49
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll be back with Stats and the tip of Henrico/W.T.
Woodson in about 30 minutes so stay tuned!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>2:35
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With just under
three minutes to go in the game, Lake Taylor is ahead 62-39 on Colonial Forge
and the Lady Titans have been absolutely dominant on both ends of the court
today. And the scary thing is you know
Coach Saundra Sawyer will have still
areas for improvement going into Friday night's AAA Girls Hoops title game
against either the Northwest Region Champion Stonewall Jackson or the Eastern
Region Champion Princess Anne.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A matchup versus Princess Anne would be mighty intriguing
from a storyline standpoint because PA beat them earlier this season and it
would be a re-match of the 2010 title game, where Lake Taylor got revenge for a
loss in the Eastern Region Championship winning the AAA crown.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Don't forget coming up next, it's Henrico vs. W.T.
Woodson in the first Boys Basketball AAA State Semifinal of the day in Richmond.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>2:24
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Kudos to Colonial
Forge for not going away as junior guard Kenya
Holland strikes from three-pointer, their sixth of the game, but only first
of the third quarter. Lake Taylor
answers, gets a stop and now the Lady Titans have a shot to increase their
14-point lead on perhaps the final possession of this third period.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Inside it's
class=SpellE>Endia
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> McKinney getting the feed from
class=SpellE>Kyara
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Cooper for the deuce as Lake Taylor is
close to matching its biggest lead. When
you live by the 3, you often die by the 3 and that's what is happening to a
young Colonial Forge team that will be good for years to come, but too much
quickness, aggressive defensive play and experience on the side of Lake Taylor.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
3rdQ - - Lake Taylor Girls 53, Colonial Forge 37
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Through three quarters of play,
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Feyonda
normal'> Fitzgerald has 22 points.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Jordan Mitchell-Harmel
has been tremendous on the boards with 13 rebounds and Lake Taylor is +27
on the glass.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Nia
normal'> Washington is having a solid game for Colonial Forge with 16
points and five steals, making an impact on both ends of the floor.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>2:18
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To begin the second
half, Colonial Forge is holding its own against mighty Lake Taylor, but they
can't quite get enough stops to move closer than nine down as every time they
start to get closer someone makes a bucket for the Lady Titans, whether it's
class=SpellE>Endia
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> McKinney in the post,
class=SpellE>Feyonda
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Fitzgerald at the guard spot or
someone else.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The 1-3-1 zone defense of Lake Taylor is having some
success and making it hard for Colonial Forge to find some open shooters or get
the ball really deep into the low block for a high-percentage shot.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lake Taylor is still in the lead comfortably, 47-34
with 2:50 to go in the second quarter.
The foul situation favors the Lady Titans, too.
style=> Only one player has two fouls or more and she's
not even a starter, while Colonial Forge has three starters with two fouls or
more.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>2:10
PM:
style=> Let's go over the numbers at the break as the
Lake Taylor Lady Titans are cruising against the Colonial Forge Lady Eagles in
a battle between the Eastern Region runner-up and the
Northwest Region runner-up in the AAA State Girls Hoops Semis at VCU's Siegel
Center.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stats
at the Half:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lake
Taylor 41:
Feyonda Fitzgerlad - -
16Pts. 6-11FG, 1-2 3's, 3-5FT, 4Ast. 2Stl.
Kyara Cooper - - 12Pts. 5-7FG, 2-3 3's, 6Reb.
Courtney White - - 7Pts. 3-8FG, 1-5 3's, 4Reb.
Jordan Mitchell-Harmel - - 2Pts.
2-2FT, 11Reb.
Lady Titans - - 16-31FG, 4-11 3's, 5-7FT, 27Reb.
class=GramE>8Ast. 10TO's, 2Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Colonial
Forge 29:
Nia Washington - - 15Pts. 5-9FG, 2-3 3's, 3-3FT,
3Reb. 4Stl. 3PF
Kenya Holland - - 5Pts. 2-7FG, 1-4 3's, 4Ast. 3Stl.
Kara Campbell - - 3Pts. 1-3FG, 2PF
Lady Eagles - - 10-32FG, 5-15 3's, 4-5FT, 11Reb. 7Ast. 6TO's,
7Stl.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Believe it or not, Colonial Forge has actually turned
Lake Taylor over more in this game. But
Lake Taylor has just about matched Colonial Forge in three-point shooting and destroying
them on the glass at +16. Fitzgerald is
so good that she has 16 points and you wouldn't know it, plus is making plays
for her teammates with four assists.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Cooper's outside shooting has been a real boost to the
Lake Taylor offense, which has been clicking on all cylinders this half with
over 50% shooting from the field.
Washington and Holland are going to be two players to watch out for in
the future for Colonial Forge, a team with only one senior starter in Campbell,
who picked up two fouls in the first half.
Washington also was whistled for three fouls in that half.
style=> Lake Taylor looks primed to playing on Friday
night against the winner of Princess Anne/Stonewall Jackson this evening.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Trivia
Question - -
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Has ever a Girls Basketball and Football
team from the same school won the State Championship in the same calendar
href="mailto:hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com">hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com if
you have the answer or know the last time it's happened in Girls Basketball and
Football.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>1:55
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With 4:20 to go in
the second quarter, Lake Taylor maintains a rather sizeable lead still at
33-16. They haven't gotten a little bit
too one-on-one at times in the half-court, but defensively, they are continuing
to bring the pressure and make Colonial Forge rush shots or make some mistakes
with the basketball.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Offensively, the Lady Titans already have two players
in double-figures with sophomore guard
normal'>Kyara Cooper and
senior guard Feyonda
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Fitzgerald, both with 10 points
apiece. Freshman guard
class=SpellE>Nia
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Washington is carrying the load offensively
for Colonial Forge with eight points, but she's going to need some help from
someone else on the perimeter to cut into this deficit.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>1:49
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>After letting
Colonial Forge pull within two at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter, Lake
Taylor poured it on and went on a 16-6 spurt, capped by a three-pointer from
class=SpellE>Kyara
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Cooper and lay-up from
class=SpellE>Feyonda
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Fitzgerald to take a 12-point lead
into the second period.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
1stQ - - Lake Taylor Girls 26, Colonial Forge 14
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lake Taylor shot a very efficient 61.1% from the field
in that quarter (11-of-18) compared to 5-for-18 from Colonial Forge, which got
nine of its points on three-pointers.
Already, the Lady Titans are +12 on the backboards, not a good sign for
a Colonial Forge team that will continue to shoot 3's and maybe not get second
chance opportunities if missing.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>1:40
PM:
style=> Lake Taylor has come out firing out of the
gate with a pair of three-pointers from Courtney
White as well as a lay-in from
normal'>Endia McKinney to
build a 7-0 lead before you even blink.
Coach Michelle Darley of
Colonial Forge needs a time-out, only 1:15 into the game and her team down by a
touchdown in a game where you can only score 2's or 3's per basket, not
seven.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Colonial Forge has gone to a 2-2-1 press on a couple of
possessions and it has resulted in a couple of steals, one by
class=SpellE>Nia
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Washington to spark an 8-0 run to cut
the Lake Taylor lead down to 10-8. But
moments later, it's Lake Taylor back up 16-8 after
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Kyara
normal'> Cooper scores on a press-break.
The Lady Titans are starting to spread the floor better and stop
settling for some 3's.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>1:30
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Welcome to Final
Four Monday in the VHSL Group AAA State Tournament in Richmond at the Verizon
Wireless Arena on the campus of VCU. The
Siegel Center is sure to be jumping today with Richmond area teams, Henrico and
John Marshall, in action.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>For the third straight year on the Boys side, the
Northwest Region has been shut out of the State Semis at the AAA level.
style=> It's the first time since 2002 that the
Eastern Region doesn't have a Boys team in the AAA Final Four.
style=> Meanwhile, it's Eastern Region vs. Northwest
Region in the Girls Final Four as both the Northern Region and Central Region
got shutout. That's a big surprise when
it comes to the North because Oakton went undefeated en route to capturing a
title last year.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Let's go through today's slate and the Predictions . .
.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
AAA State Final Four Schedule for
Monday 3/4/13 at VCU:
1:30 PM (Girls) - - ER #2 Lake Taylor (26-1) vs. NW #2 Colonial Forge (26-3)
3:15 PM (Boys) - - CR #1 Henrico (28-2) vs. NR #1 W.T. Woodson (25-4)
7:00 PM (G) - - ER #1 Princess Anne (29-1) vs. NW #1 Stonewall Jackson (24-3)
8:30 PM (B) - - CR #2 John Marshall (25-5) vs. NR #2 Wakefield (25-5)
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Hatfield's
Picks:
Lake Taylor Girls by 18, Henrico Boys by 9
Princess Girls by 6, John Marshall Boys by 5
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Cool Links: *
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Indicates
Premium Content
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1479212">AAA Semis
Preview of John Marshall/Wakefield *
Semis Preview of Henrico/W.T. Woodson *
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>AAA Quarterfinals Preview of Great
Bridge/John Marshall
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> *
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>AAA Quarterfinals Preview of
Battlefield/W.T. Woodson
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> *
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>AAA Quarterfinals Preview of
class=SpellE>Kecoughtan/Henrico
normal'>
*
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>AAA Quarterfinals Preview of Mountain
View/Wakefield
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> *
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>What We Learned - - Eastern Region
Semis
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> *
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1476695&PT=4&PR=2">
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Monday's Eastern Region Championship
Live Blog
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1476766&PT=4&PR=2">
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Recap of Eastern Region Championship
with Great Bridge/Kecoughtan
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> *
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1476135&PT=4&PR=2">
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Sunday's Eastern Region Semis Live
Blog
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1475678&PT=4&PR=2">
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Friday's Central Region Semis Live
Blog
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-special-character:line-break'>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
href="http://www.virginiapreps.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>VirginiaPreps.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com
href="http://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">
normal'>
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> for more sports related updates,
href="http://www.suffolknewsherald.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Suffolk News Herald
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
href="mailto:hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and don't forget to listen to him
href="http://www.espnradio941.com/">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>ESPN Radio 94.1
class=MsoHyperlink>
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>,
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
href="http://www.cox11.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Cox 11 Sports Report
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
normal'>
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