King’s Fork celebrated a sweep of a city rival, and pretty soon the Bulldogs are likely to celebrate another Southeastern District girls basketball title.
King’s Fork outlasted Nansemond River in a tense clash, scoring the final five points for a 66-61 victory before a raucous crowd Friday night.
TaShauna Rodgers scored 30 points and made five of her team’s nine 3-pointers to give the second-ranked Bulldogs a two-game lead with four district games remaining.
Fourth-ranked Nansemond River and Indian River are tied for second place.
Meanwhile, King’s Fork (16-2, 13-1) took a big step toward its second consecutive district crown.
Not bad for a team that first-year coach Garry Murphy said was viewed as having “two good players and that was it.”
Those two – stars Rodgers and Ransheda Jennings – have played big roles, but they’re getting help.
On Friday, other key contributors included Tamara Stone and Kiara Branch, who each made an important 3-pointer during the second half. Stone, Branch and Margaret Farris each finished with six points, while Jennings scored 16.
“These girls are hungry and they want to prove people wrong,” Murphy said. “I’m proud of them.”
Added Rodgers: “We’ve come a long way. We practice hard, we play hard, play as a team and do everything we’re supposed to do.”
The Warriors (15-3, 11-3), battling some nagging injuries, have lost back-to-back games. After making 6 of 12 3-pointers in the first half, they made just 2 of 8 in the second half.
“I thought we did a good job of running to open spots on the floor in the first half,” Nansemond River coach R. Calvin Mason said. “We stood a lot in the second half.”
Still, the Warriors rallied from a six-point deficit to tie it twice in the fourth quarter, the last on Trinese Fox’s free throw with 49 seconds remaining. Nansemond River nearly knotted it again with 20 seconds to play, but a 3-pointer by LeCetra Arrington rattled out, and the Bulldogs sealed it at the free-throw line.
“Oh my gosh, when I shot it I knew it was going in,” said Arrington, who finished with 24 points and made six 3-pointers. “I just knew it was going in, but it came back out.”
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