|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Highland's 5th straight Final Four berth ends in 48-46 loss
As they waited to take the court for their VISGBA Division II state semifinal game Friday afternoon in Fairfax, the Highland Hawks girls basketball team couldn’t miss the result of the game going on before theirs.
Four-time defending champion Walsingham Academy was going down. Hard.
Walsingham, a team whose other identity could be The School That Always Beats Highland At States, would bow out to Norfolk Christian by double digits, seemingly clearing a major obstacle for the Hawks.
Now all Highland had to do was win their game, then beat Norfolk Christian in the final.
Not so easy, as it turned out, as the Hawks fell to Hampton Roads Academy, 48-46, in an exciting semifinal, played at Paul VI High.
Highland (19-8) overcame an eight-point first half deficit, and had numerous chances to tie the game in the final minute, but simply could not convert.
Hampton Roads was led by phenomenal eighth grader Adrienne Motley, who scored 36 points, including all 19 of the Navigators’ points in the second half, and had the game’s eventual winning basket on a slick baseline spin move with 1:09 left.
“We feel like it was our year, we just did not make shots down the stretch. That’s how the cookie crumbles,” said Highland coach Donald O’Meara. “I’m proud the girls left it on the floor. We gave everything we could.”
“I think we gave it our all. Things did not go our way,” said Shendi Josephs, one of five Highland seniors and Highland's top scorer in the semifinal with 15 .
Like some of her teammates, Josephs was encouraged when Walsingham lost, thinking it was a good omen. “I thought we had it,” she said, before going on to praise the brilliance of Motley. “She’s pretty good, and she’s only an eighth grader.”
Motley scored most of her points on quick drives to the basket. Quick and elusive, Motley would beat one defender and release a short shot over other defenders. In the second half she showed her range by drilling a 3-pointer and another outside shot.
Her baseline drive with 1:09 left won it. “It’s my signature, a spin move,” Motley said.
Despite her brilliance, Motley showed the Hawks some unintentional compassion by missing three one-and-one free throws in the last 42 seconds, giving Highland multiple chances to tie or take the lead.
After Motley missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw with 42 seconds left, Hawk Ella Miller missed a reverse layup after a strong baseline drive...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
You must be logged in to post a comment.