LIVE AAA Final Four Blog - Session 2
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style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>11:58
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The final Group AAA
State Basketball Tournament comes to a dramatic conclusion on Friday night in
Richmond in the Verizon Wireless Arena at the VCU Siegel Center.
style=> Champions will be crowned and another fun, exciting
postseason of High School Hoops will end.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll have Previews on those games and our 'What We
Learned' features to check out this week as well.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>My Predictions are now 10-0 overall in the State Tournament.
style=> Who will I select on Friday?
style=> You'll have to check back on the site and see
my Picks on those games later on, plus be sure to follow the Live Blog on
Friday night.
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=914&CID=1479297">LIVE
AAA Hoops Final Four Blog - - Session #1
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Here were the Finals from the State Tournament Semis .
. .
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Girls
AAA Hoops Semis Final Score - - Lake Taylor 64, Colonial Forge 49
Girls AAA Hoops Semis Final Score - - Princess Anne 48, Stonewall Jackson 38
Boys AAA Hoops Semis Final Score - - Henrico 75, W.T. Woodson 65
Boys AAA Hoops Semis Final Score - - John Marshall 66, Wakefield 46
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>That sets up these Championship games on Friday night .
. .
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Girls
AAA Hoops State Championship at 7:00 PM:
Lake Taylor (27-1) vs. Princess Anne (30-1)
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Boys
AAA Hoops State Championship at 9:00 PM:
Henrico (29-2) vs. John Marshall (26-5)
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>10:30
PM:
style=> Well, the Richmond area fans got their wish
for Friday's night AAA title game as it'll be an All-Central Region Final when
the John Marshall Justices play the Henrico Warriors for all the marbles in the
final State Championship before the new classification goes into effect for
2013-14.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Let's go over the Final Numbers from the Justices'
victory over Wakefield.
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"'>John
Marshall Justices 66:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (26-5 Overall)
Gee Dean-McBride - - 26Pts. 9-20FG, 7-11FT, 12Reb. 5Ast.
Brian White - - 18Pts. 6-13FG, 6-7FT, 11Reb. 3Blk.
Aaron McCrae - - 9Pts. 3-6FG, 3-4 3's, 2Reb.
Jay Broaduss - - 5Pts. 2-5FG
Justices - - 24-58FG, 4-10 3's, 14-19FT, 40Reb. 11Ast.
13TO's, 5Blk. 6Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Wakefield
Warriors 46:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (25-6 Overall)
Khory Moore - - 22Pts. 8-20FG, 2-9 3's, 4-6FT, 6Reb.
2Ast.
Dominique Tham - - 10Pts. 5-11FG, 10Reb. 3Blk
class=GramE>.
Re'Quan Hopson - - 7Pts. 2-9FG, 3-5FT, 8Reb. 2Ast
class=GramE>.
Ermias Nega - - 4Pts.
1-10FG, 10Reb. 3Stl.
Warriors - - 17-58FG, 3-18 3's, 9-13FT, 38Reb. 7Ast. 15TO's,
5Blk. 7Stl.
href="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/914/1372287.WMA">Postgame Presser with
John Marshall
with Wakefield
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>As the season has gone on, John Marshall's shot selection
has improved quite a bit to where they don't become
reliant on the three-point shot. Combine
that with the fact they were +12 in the paint and +8 in point off turnovers,
and John Marshall manufactured points much better.
style=> Dean-McBride continues to have a really
strong postseason alongside White, who produced a double-double on a relatively
quiet night after his 33-point monster night in the State Quarters.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>McCrae has given the Justices a fairly dependable #3
option offensively and as far as foul shooting goes, few are as proficient in
that area as John Marshall, which got another big man in foul trouble and got
in the bonus early to compromise the opposition's defense.
style=> If they are able to do that against Henrico
and keep the guards out of the paint, they'll have a chance to make it third
time's a charm. Coach White said afterwards
that the tougher team is going to prevail.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Coach Bentley felt the Warriors fell in love with the 3
ball too much trying to play catch up and that cost them.
style=> He also thought they were selfish at times
offensively, leading to a major drop off in their point production after
putting up 80-plus versus Mountain View.
It took Moore and Nega 30 shots to get a
combined 26 points and that wasn't how they had success when they ran off 16
straight earlier this year. Also, we
noted that if Wakefield had 15+ turnovers, they'd be on the wrong side out of
the outcome and that happened.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>10:08
PM:
style=> It's now complete and the Wakefield Warriors'
wonderful season will end at 25-6 overall.
style=> John Marshall moves to 26-5 overall and will
be playing Henrico in a much anticipated All-Central Region AAA Boys Basketball
State Championship. Will it be third
time's a charm for John Marshall after losing to Henrico the previous two
meetings this season?
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>BOYS AAA HOOPS SEMIS FINAL - - JOHN
MARSHALL 66, WAKEFIELD 46
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Back with some Final Stats and we'll put a pretty bow
on this thing to wrap-up the evening in an about an hour or so - - stay tuned!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>10:00
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>If you told John
Marshall Head Coach Ty White that
with three minutes left in the game, senior forward
normal'>Brian White would only have two points in this second half and that
his team wouldn't make a free-throw in the third quarter, he'd probably be somewhat
concerned. But they've rode the back of
senior guard Gee Dean-McBride with a
couple of key shots sprinkled by Aaron
McCrae to stay well ahead, 54-39 of Wakefield with under three minutes to
play in regulation.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Trailing by 13 to start the fourth quarter, Wakefield
has gone significantly cold from the field with only two points in the first
5:26 of the period.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A few of the Henrico players noted after their win
earlier today over W.T. Woodson in the State Tournament Semis that it is tough
to beat a team three times and the Warriors will have to do that to win the
State Championship.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The city of Richmond is sure to be buzzing on Friday
night as two schools right down the road from one another will be going
head-to-head for all the marbles in AAA Boys Basketball.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:54
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Quite honestly, John
Marshall's speed and athleticism has worn down a Wakefield team that doesn't go
very deep into its bench, playing only two guys off the pine compared to a
Justices team that goes 10-deep. In the
fourth quarter, those tired legs are showing as JM is comfortably in front with
4:43 to play by a count of 53-39.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Wakefield has missed about six or seven jumpers in a
row that they normally make. Defensively,
the Justices have baited them to into some of those long perimeter jumpers and
the Warriors haven't really applied any full-court pressure to give the
Justices problems.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To say this fourth quarter has become a yawner might be
an understatement (in fact, I actually
spotted someone under the age of 50 that fell asleep - - no lie!).
style=> But Wakefield has had a wonderful season,
winning 17 of 18 before this one. They
are juts a little overmatched by John Marshall.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:49
PM:
style=> Kudos to the job John Marshall has done
defensively tonight, holding Wakefield below 40 points entering the fourth
quarter. The Warriors scored 83 points
in the State Tournament quarterfinals against Mountain View and shot nearly 60%
for the game. Tonight, they are shooting
only 33.3% as the Justices have outscored them 26-18 in the painted area, plus
hold a 19-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Senior guard Aaron
McCrae has been that x-factor, that reliable #3 option offensively to go
with Gee Dean-McBride and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Brian White.
style=> First it was McCrae on a drive and finding
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Travis Boykins,
a 6-foot-5 backup senior forward, for a deuce.
To close the third quarter, he swished a three-pointer in the corner
right in front of me on press row.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
3rdQ - - John Marshall 50, Wakefield 37
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We're eight minutes away from the first ever
All-Central Region AAA Championship in Boys Basketball in the VHSL State
Tournament. The Justices' last
appearance in the AAA title game came in 1993 when they lost to Bethel.
style=> They haven't won a State Championship on the
hardwood since 1954.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:44
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>An
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Aaron McCrae three-pointer puts John
Marshall up 13 until the National District Player of the Year
class=SpellE>Khory
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Moore starts to get that deadly
outside jump shot going for the Wakefield Warriors.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Moore makes consecutive three-pointers for the Warriors
to cut the Justices' lead down to nine.
In between there was another super scintillating, sweet drive to the cup
for two by John Marshall senior guard Gee
Dean-McBride, the Player of the Game to this point.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Dean-McBride gets a quick breather and so does
sophomore Nate Williams, a tall
6-foot-7 forward who has given serviceable minutes to the Justices
tonight. Moore is fouled on a
three-pointer, an absolute no-no if you're John Marshall, but he doesn't make
them pay by converting only 1-of-3 at the foul line.
style=> A John Marshall turnover gives Wakefield a
chance to get within five or six with under a minute to go in this third
quarter.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:39
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Senior guard
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Gee Dean-McBride wasn't chosen
All-Central Region First Team, but if they re-did the voting after tonight, he'd
probably be on there as he has done it all for his
team, scoring, distributing, running the break, making things happen
defensively and is communicating well with his teammates.
style=> He looks like a next-level player this
evening, no worse than Division II if you ask me.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Thanks to a bucket from Dean-McBride and finding his
running mate Brian White on the
break, John Marshall is back up double-figures at 38-26 with 4:10 to go in the
third quarter. There are occasional
moments where Dean-McBride makes some decisions that have you scratching your
head, such as jacking a 25-footer when it wasn't needed, but for the most part,
he's been the engine of their attack and made many more positive plays than
negative.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Bad news for Wakefield is that
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Ermias
normal'> Nega and
normal'>Dominique Tham, two of their key
front-court players, will have to go the rest of this third quarter with three
fouls apiece, so even if they do go on a run, they are
just one foul away from being in big trouble.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:32
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>I like the way that
the Wakefield Warriors have started the second half here in the AAA State Semis
against John Marshall as Coach Tony Bentley's
team is playing much more aggressively.
class=SpellE>Re'Quan
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Hopson hits 1-of-2 at the foul line
and then Khory
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Moore scores on an absolute gorgeous
move coast-to-coast to cut the John Marshall lead to 32-26.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>All of the sudden, Coach
normal'>Ty White of John Marshall might want to think about a time-out here
if they don't get a basket and a stop.
They get the basket, get the stop, but guard
normal'>Gee Dean-McBride misses two free-throws and
normal'>Dominique Tham rejects
class=SpellE>Quaman
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Burton's three-pointer, and then
Burton steps out of bounds. Wakefield
can get back within six with a basket at the 5:30 mark.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:25
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>There's never been
an All-Central Region AAA Boys Basketball Championship in the VHSL State
Tournament. We're 16 minutes away from
seeing it and a third chapter this season between Henrico and John
Marshall. Henrico won the last two
meetings, including in the Central Region Championship game 58-51.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Unless Wakefield can bottle up the Justices in the
second half and get their outside shooting going, history will take place on
Friday night.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Let's take a closer look at the first half stats.
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"'>John
Marshall 32:
Gee Dean-McBride - - 12Pts. 4-8FG, 3-4FT, 4Reb. 4Ast.
Brian White - - 11Pts. 3-7FG, 5-5FT, 4Reb. 2Blk.
Aaron McCrae - - 3Pts. 1-2FG
Justices - - 11-24FG, 2-6 3's, 8-9FT, 12Reb. 6Ast. 7TO's,
3Blk. 5Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Wakefield
23:
Dominique Tham - - 10Pts. 5-9FG, 6Reb.
Khory Moore - - 4Pts. 2-7FG, 0-2 3's, 2Reb.
Ermias Nega - - 4Pts.
1-4FG, 2-2FT, 4Reb. 2Stl.
Warriors - - 10-28FG, 1-5 3's, 2-2FT, 18Reb. 5Ast. 11TO's,
2Blk. 5Stl.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>You can't ask for much more from John Marshall's tandem
of White and Dean-McBride. Both are
impacting the game in multiple ways, not just scoring.
style=> Dean-McBride is dishing to teammates and
White is affecting shots on defense, plus getting to the foul line to put
Wakefield's key guys in foul trouble, including Nega
with three. As long as John Marshall's
role players don't get crazy with the basketball, they'll be moving on to
Friday night's AAA title game.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Everything offensively for Wakefield looks
difficult. They have turned it over 11
times and in our Preview we noted that 15+ would spell doom.
style=> Well, they are almost there, and compounding
matters is the fact they've been to the foul line only twice, scored just two
fast-break points and shot 20% from long distance.
style=> Moore and Nega have
to get on track for this to be competitive in the fourth quarter, otherwise
John Marshall will hold a working 8-14 point margin from here on out.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:20
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Wakefield closes
the first half getting a bucket from
normal'>Re'Quan Hopson
and minimizes any further damage from John Marshall, which is leaning heavily
on the combo of Brian White (Citadel
signee) and Gee Dean-McBride in this
State Tournament. They were great in the
win over Eastern Region Champ Great Bridge in the quarters and are playing
extremely well once again tonight.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>AAA
State Semis at the Half - - John Marshall 32, Wakefield 23
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll crunch some numbers in about five minutes!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:12
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>John Marshall is
still in the lead here with 3:40 to go until half-time as it is 24-16 in favor
of the Justices, but Wakefield is just one or two baskets away from making
things very interesting. Both of
Wakefield's two senior standouts,
normal'>Khory Moore and
class=SpellE>Ermias
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Nega, have
been a little out of control on drives at times with Moore called for travelling
and Nega whistled for an offensive foul.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Moore is starting to make some plays as a distributor,
finding Dominque
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Tham for a
basket inside and then hitting sophomore reserve
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Marqua
normal'> Walton for an important three-pointer.
style=> Walton is one of the guys they are counting
on to stretch the defense, especially if Moore can't get a clean look from 3.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Gee
Dean-McBride
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>is starting to really warm up for John
Marshall since he went to the bench to catch his breath.
style=> Dean-McBride has made three straight shots
for the Justices, a couple on challenging jumpers and that keeps Wakefield from
moving any closer. Plus, he makes a
steal at one end and finds Brian White for
a dunk on the fast-break. That gives JM
a 32-21 lead with 1:24 to go left in the first half.
style=>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:08
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>To start the second
quarter, Wakefield shows better ball movement as
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Ermias
normal'> Nega and
normal'>Dominique Tham each get baskets to cut
into that John Marshall lead, which is 20-12.
A beautiful lob is thrown by John Marshall and finished by
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Brian White to thwart a possible run by
the Warriors. However, Wakefield won't
be detoured as junior guard
normal'>Jalen Carver finds
Tham inside for the deuce.
style=> Tham is going to be
a prospect to watch out for because although he's undersized, he challenges
shots and gets off the floor quickly.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>This is a pivotal stretch upcoming for John Marshall as
they give senior guard Gee Dean-McBride his
first rest, so it'll be up junior guard
normal'>Quaman Burton and
sophomore Jeremy Sheppard to make
smart decisions with the basketball as well as senior
normal'>Aaron McCrae. White
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> misses a long jumper and Wakefield has
a chance to pull within five or six here if they get a make.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>9:02
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>John Marshall is
really revving it up behind this pro-Richmond crowd and they've got the
Northern Region runner-up Warriors from Wakefield shaken up right now after
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Gee Dean-McBride bangs home a
three-pointer in the corner to push the Jayem lead to
18-8.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Taqqi
normal'> Muhammad, a sophomore reserve for the Justices, sinks a pull-up
jumper to increase the advantage to 20-8.
That'll be the score at the End of 1.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
1stQ - - John Marshall 20, Wakefield 8
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Three of Wakefield's starters in
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Jalen
normal'> Carver, Re'Quan
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Hopson and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Ermias
normal'> Nega have been shut down to just two
points total. They really need
class=SpellE>Nega (who had 32 vs. Mountain View in the State Quarters) to
get it going or it'll be a long night.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:57
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Wakefield is
starting to settle in some offensively as National District Player of the Year
class=SpellE>Khory
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Moore, a senior guard that put up 37
points and six treys in the Warriors' Northern Region Championship overtime loss
to W.T. Woodson, has scored the first four points for his team.
style=> Sophomore center
normal'>Dominique Tham adds a bucket in the paint
and John Marshall's lead is only a point, 7-6, approaching two minutes left in
the opening quarter.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Justices answer behind their star forward
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Brian White, finishing a three-point
play at the foul line to make the score 13-6 in favor of John Marshall with 1:39
to go in the opening quarter. That's
followed by a basket from sophomore guard Jay
Broaduss of John Marshall and they draw a charge
at the other end. Wakefield is back in
the danger zone again and must close out the first quarter well, keeping the
deficit to single-digits or they're going to dig themselves too deep of a hole
to climb out of I think.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:50
PM:
style=> In the early going, it's
John Marshall setting a tone with its defense as 6-foot-7 forward
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Brian White, a senior and the Colonial District
Player of the Year who is headed to play his College Basketball at The Citadel,
rejects a Wakefield shot attempt. That
leads to an Aaron McCrae three-pointer
and he's one of their main weapons shooting it from deep.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>White put up 33 points in the State Tournament
quarterfinals against Great Bridge on Friday and he's going to be the guy that
Wakefield must deny in order to be successful.
A hook shot by sophomore 6-foot-7 forward
normal'>Nate Williams, making a surprising start for John Marshall, increases
the Justices' lead to 5-2 with 5:31 to go in the first quarter.
style=> Coach Ty
White has gone with a bigger lineup to start and it's a good move in my
opinion as White and Williams can give Wakefield problems on the glass.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Williams is a D-1 prospect to watch out for from the
Class of 2015 as well. Wakefield looks
very tentative on the offensive end and they better get it together or else
their deficit will be double-digits, currently trailing 7-2 with 3:55 left
until the second quarter starts.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:40
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>So we have a
classic Girls Basketball State Championship coming our way on Friday night in a
re-match from the 2010 title game as it's an All-Eastern Region re-match with
Princess Anne (30-1) taking on Lake Taylor (27-1) for all the marbles.
style=> With the new classification system going into
effect next year, it'll be the last time at least for a while that these two
meet up in the postseason.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Let's go through the Final Stats from this one . . .
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"'>Princess
Anne Lady Cavaliers 48:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (30-1 Overall)
Morgan Cooper - - 23Pts. 7-18FG, 9-13FT, 8Reb. 4Ast. 5Stl.
Janayla White - - 11Pts. 4-7FG, 3-7FT, 16Reb. 5Blk
class=GramE>.
Alexis Platt - - 8Pts. 4-7FG, 11Reb.
Gadiva Hubbard - - 4Pts. 1-12FG, 2-2FT, 2Reb. 2Blk
class=GramE>.
Lady Cavs - - 17-58FG, 0-6 3's, 14-22FT, 46Reb. 6Ast. 11TO's,
8Blk. 8Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stonewall
Jackson Lady Raiders 38:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (24-4 Overall)
Nicole Floyd - - 12Pts. 4-16FG, 4-6FT, 18Reb. 5Blk.
Amanda Hinton - - 10Pts. 4-14FG, 1-2Ft, 4Reb.
Desare Williams - - 8Pts. 4-6FG, 3Reb.
Sydney Jordan - - 6Pts. 2-7FG, 2-2FT, 4Reb. 3Ast. 2Stl.
Lady Raiders - - 15-54FG, 1-9 3's, 7-10FT, 41Reb. 6Ast. 18TO's,
5Blk. 6Stl.
href="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/914/1372078.WMA">Postgame
Presser with Princess Anne Lady Cavaliers
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The foul shooting down the stretch for PA doesn't
concern as much as the fact they didn't make a three-pointer and they're going
to need respectable shooting numbers versus Lake Taylor on Friday to
prevail. On the glass, White, Platt and
Cooper were nothing short of phenomenal.
They battled well against Floyd, a bona-fide star player who's headed to
Wake Forest in the ACC.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Princess Anne's players and coaches spoke glowingly
about Floyd afterwards, praising her footwork inside.
style=> Stonewall Jackson didn't get to the foul line
enough, nor did they take caer of the ball well
enough with 18 turnovers and PA capitalized with 11 points off that and 12
points on second chance. Those 23 points
right there were nearly half of the Lady Cavs' total.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Next up it's John Marshall vs.
Wakefield in the State Final Four on the Boys side with the winner set to take
on Central Region Champ Henrico for the AAA Championship!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:21
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It's now in the
books and the Princess Anne Lady Cavaliers are headed to the State Championship
game for the seventh time (they are 4-2 in that game all-time) and fifth
consecutive trip under Coach Darnell
Dozier, who improves to 469-43 after their latest win, a triumph over
Northwest Region Champion Stonewall Jackson in the AAA Girls Hoops Final Four.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>GIRLS AAA HOOPS SEMIS FINAL - PRINCESS
ANNE 48, STONEWALL JACKSON 38
line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>That means it'll be Princess Anne vs. Lake Taylor Girls
at 7:00 PM on Friday night at the VCU Siegel Center for the State Championship
in a re-match of the 2010 AAA Final.
Back in 2010, Princess Anne won the Eastern Region title then lost to
Lake Taylor by six, 50-44. Does the same
thing occur this time or will Princess Anne's Drive for Five culminate by
handing the Lady Titans a second loss this season?
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll have some Final Stats and more momentarily, plus the
tip of Northern Region runner-up Wakefield (25-5) vs. Central Region runner-up
John Marshall (25-5) in the other AAA Final Four matchup on the Boys side - -
keep it locked to VirginiaPreps.com!
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:15
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With 1:36 left,
class=GramE>it's Princess Anne salting this one away at the free-throw
line as Morgan Cooper drains a pair
to push their lead to 44-31 on Stonewall Jackson.
style=> Before those two makes, PA had gone just
2-for-8 at the foul line in their previous eight attempts this quarter.
style=> But the Lady Cavs have been relentless on
defense and much smart with the basketball this half to keep the Lady Raiders
at bay.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Cooper has 23 points, putting forth a great all-around
performance to have the Lady Cavs approaching their fifth consecutive State
Final.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Barring a serious collapse that human beings cannot
explain, Princess Anne's Girls will be playing in the State Championship game
for the seventh time under Coach Darnell
Dozier and will face Lake Taylor on Friday night in
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:05
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A basket by
Stonewall Jackson junior guard
normal'>Desare Williams draws
the Lady Raiders closer, trailing only 38-32 midway through the fourth
quarter. But they miss on their next
trip down and Princess Anne milks some clock before
normal'>Morgan Cooper, the senior catalyst for the Lady Cavs, scores to
push their lead to 40-32 with under four minutes to
play.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Princess Anne's Cooper makes another clutch play on the
defensive end of the court, willing her team in crunch time in this one.
style=> She then finds an open
normal'>Alexis Platt inside, who misses an open shot, rebound to Stonewall
Jackson, but t's Cooper yanking down a rebound.
Platt is fouled inside on a rebound attempt and the Lady Cavs lead it
40-32 with 3:02 remaining.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>8:00
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>So what's the
secret to success for Princess Anne and Lake Taylor's Girls Basketball
programs? They have top-notch coaches in
Darnell Dozier and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Saundra Sawyer who push their players
to the max all the time, but going further than that, it's their commitment to
the defensive end of the floor.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>That was shown just a few moments ago early in the
fourth quarter with Stonewall Jackson sensing they could go on a run and move
within five when senior Morgan Cooper sacrificed
her body and took a charge. I saw almost
the same exact charge about a week ago in the State Tournament quarterfinals
from Lake Taylor's Jordan Mitchell-
class=SpellE>Harmel against Highland Springs, drawing two key charges.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A play like that prevents the other team from going on
a run and lifts your teammates up; it's those type of
winning plays on a big stage that separates the best from the rest.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:55
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Princess Anne is
having a tough time containing Nicole
Floyd of Stonewall Jackson and Amanda
Hinton; together those two have 21 points, but the rest of the
class=GramE>players have only six points.
style=> Floyd scored eight points in the third
quarter alone, mostly on great post entry feeds and working extremely hard in
the paint.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders are getting beat on the
boards and back in transition on a few occasions, leading to PA sitting just
eight minutes away from reaching the State Championship game in Girls Basketball
for a fifth consecutive year.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
3rdQ - - Princess Anne 34, Stonewall Jackson 27
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:51
PM: Nicole Floyd
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>,
junior post player for Stonewall Jackson headed to play her College Basketball
at Wake Forest in the ACC, is doing all she can to keep her team alive and in
it after scoring a couple of field goals.
But here come those Lady Cavaliers of PA again with precision and poise
as Alexis Platt scores in transition
to give the Lady Cavs a 30-22 lead with 2:52 left in the third quarter.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Coach Diana
Martinez of Stonewall Jackson gets a time-out.
style=> Out of the time-out, it's
Morgan Cooper adding to her point
total; she's now got 13 points.
Stonewall Jackson is struggling to stop the Princess Anne driving game
and Coach Dozier's squad has done a really fine job on the other end of closing
out on the Lady Raiders' perimeter weapons.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:44
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Princess Anne opens
the second half where they left off in the first half and that was attacking
the cup and getting buckets with Morgan
Cooper scoring on a drive and then adding two more field goals o grab a
double-digit lead, 26-16, this for a team with six freshmen and two sophomores
on the roster. Oh my, are they going to
be a handful to deal with in years to come or what?
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>That's a 10-0 run dating back to the second quarter for
Princess Anne, and they actually trailed by eight a long time ago, early in the
second period.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:36
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stonewall Jackson's
Girls stayed ice cold that first half deep into the final minutes of the second
quarter and saw a six-point lead turn into a four-point deficit at the break.
style=> The Lady Raiders shot just 2-of-15 in that
second quarter and let Princess Anne impose its will inside much like Lake
Taylor's Girls did against Colonial Forge.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Must say that it is a relatively light crowd this
evening compared to the afternoon session, where both Henrico and W.T. Woodson
brought a bunch of students, and even Lake Taylor had their fair share in
attendance for support. Not a lot of
booming voices for Princess Anne or Stonewall Jackson's gals at the Siegel
Center . . . let's hope that changes for the Boys matchup with John Marshall
and Wakefield to follow after this one.
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"'>Princess
Anne Lady Cavs 20:
Morgan Cooper - - 9Pts. 3-10FG, 3-4FT, 3Reb. 2Stl.
Janalya White - - 7Pts. 3-5FG, 11Reb.
Alexis Platt - - 2Pts. 1-2FG, 7Reb.
Lady Cavs - - 8-32FG, 0-3 3's, 4-6FT, 27Reb. 2Ast. 8TO's,
4Blk. 3Stl.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stonewall
Jackson Lady Raiders 16:
Amanda Hinton - - 6Pts. 2-6FG, 1-2 3's, 1-2FT, 2Reb.
Nicole Floyd - - 4Pts. 1-9FG, 2-2FT, 7Reb.
Lady Raiders - - 6-28FG, 1-6 3's, 3-4Ft, 20Reb. 2Ast. 8TO's,
1Blk. 5Stl.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The shooting percentages, both at 25% or
class=GramE>lower, and assist-to-turnover ratios, each at 2-to-8, leave
plenty to be desired to put it kindly.
style=> White and Platt were terrific on the boards,
combining for 18 rebounds between the two of them.
style=> PA's offense started to come alive with those
two crashing the offensive glass and Cooper starting to find her shot.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stonewall Jackson cannot get anything to fall inside
and they only got PA whistled for four fouls in that first half.
style=> The Lady Raiders have to attack more off the
dribble, not get bothered by the defensive pressure, bring some traps of their
own and start to make better decisions with the basketball.
style=> In the first quarter it was PA being sloppy
with the ball, and in the second quarter it was Stonewall that failed to value
its possessions.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:29
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Princess Anne's
class=SpellE>Chandace
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Golden scored with 48 seconds left in
the first half to break a 16-all tie, and then
normal'>Alexis Platt, one of only two seniors on the roster along with
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Morgan Cooper, added two to push the
advantage to four. PA even had a chance
to go up six or seven when Stonewall Jackson turned it over with 9.8 seconds
left in the first half, but they turned it over.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Girls
AAA Final Four at the Half - - Stonewall Jackson 20, Princess Anne 16
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We'll have some stats in a few minutes . . .
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:22
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The tide is
beginning to turn here midway through the second quarter as Princess Anne is
starting to give Stonewall Jackson some problems with their 2-2-1 full-court
press and a few half-court traps Coach Darnell
Dozier had up his sleeve (although, he's
wearing a short sleeve PA t-shirt, so not sure he had it up his sleeve).
style=>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Janayla
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> White
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>,
the 6-foot-1 junior center who has been a rebounding and shot blocking machine
for the Lady Cavs all year, is starting to hit the offensive glass extremely
well for PA.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Stonewall Jackson is beginning to rush shots when they
don't turn it over and PA has squandered a couple of chances to take the lead until
Morgan Cooper's field goal with 3:20
to go in the first half knots the score at 14, and then Cooper puts them ahead at
the 2:07 mark at 16-14.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:16
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In that first
quarter, Princess Anne was pretty dreadful to say the least.
style=> They shot 1-for-10 from the field, committed
six turnovers, had no assists and lost the battle on the boards, 10-9.
style=> Stonewall Jackson didn't exactly capitalize
though, scoring no fast-break buckets and their lead is only six.
style=> They need to do what Maury failed to do
against PA in the Eastern Region Tournament semifinals and that is push the
advantage
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:10
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Finally, we have
some points on the board as Princess Anne center
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Janayla
normal'> White hits 1-of-2 free-throws at the 4:32 mark of the first
quarter for the game's first points. The
first field goal comes about 20 seconds later courtesy of
normal'>Rachel Burns to give Stonewall Jackson a lead.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>White answers the bucket, but that would be the Lady
Cavs' only field goal of the opening quarter as Stonewall Jackson has clamped
down completely and gone on a 7-0 run to close the period.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Amanda
Hinton
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>, a senior guard with plenty of experience and
leadership, knocks down a there-pointer and the likes of
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Desare
normal'> Williams and Nicole Floyd add
field goals. That's all your scoring
folks in the first quarter.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>End
1stQ - - Stonewall Jackson Girls 9, Princess Anne 3
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>7:05
PM:
style=> Our second Girls AAA Hoops State Semis
matchup is underway as the Eastern Region Champions from Princess Anne (29-1)
and the Northwest Region Champion Stonewall Jackson Lady Raiders (24-3).
style=> These two met before back in 2011 in the
State Championship when Duke's Elizabeth Williams led PA to a victory in a
rout, 65-39.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>This is a much different looking PA team than that one
and SJ is very different, too.
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Darnell Dozier's Lady Cavs are trying
to win a fifth straight state title and haven't lost in the Final Four round
since 2008 when Forest Park ousted them, 51-42.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It's been a total defensive struggle with neither team
scoring three minutes into action. Let's
say that the first team to 6 points will win - - I'm declaring it now!
style=> We're scoreless.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>6:55
PM:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>We're back for
Session #2 on Final Four Monday in the VHSL Group AAA State Tournament in
Richmond at the Verizon Wireless Arena on the campus of VCU.
style=> The Siegel Center will play host to a couple
of games this evening, one on the Girls side and one on the Boys side, as Lake
Taylor Girls and Henrico Boys await the winners for Friday night's AAA State
Championship.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Miss the first session Blog from earlier today?
style=> No worries - - we've got you covered.
href="http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1479297">the LIVE Blog
Session #1 here.
"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:
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"'>Earlier
Finals . . .
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>GIRLS
AAA STATE SEMIS - - LAKE TAYLOR 64, COLONIAL FORGE 49
BOYS AAA STATE SEMIS - - HENRICO 75, W.T. WOODSON 65
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Hatfield's
Picks: (2-0 today; 8-0 overall in Boys
& Girls in State Playoffs)
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=1479297">LIVE AAA Hoops
Final Four Blog - - Session #1
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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