The Salem Sun Devils girls basketball team found the fourth time a charm. After losing to Princess Anne each of the previous three times this season by a total of 38 points, including 20 in the first meeting, Salem exacted revenge in the form of a 53-37 victory at Norview High School in Norfolk on Wednesday night during the 5A-South Region Tournament semifinals.
With the win, Salem moved to 21-5 overall and will face Highland Springs for the regional title on Saturday at 6 PM at Hermitage High School in Richmond.
Coach Donnie Stith, who played at Salem and in college at Tulane, saw his team put forth one of its best performances of the season. Brianna Jackson, a 6'3" sophomore for Salem, approached triple-double numbers with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.
Senior guard Yanna Owens had 15 points and made four three-pointers. Cayla Hannibal, another senior guard who is set to play at the Naval Academy beyond this year, chipped in 11 points.
Princess Anne saw its 15-game winning streak snapped. The Lady Cavaliers dropped to 24-2 overall. It's the first time since 2007 that Princess Anne won't be playing for a regional title. Instead, they'll take on L.C. Bird in the third place consolation game on Saturday at 11 AM at Hermitage High School.
Update - Salem rallied from 19 points down in the third quarter to defeat Highland Springs, 51-48, in the 5A-South Region Championship.
*** See our Video Interview with Coach Stith embedded above. ***
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.