King’s Fork 57, Menchville 34
In what was an otherwise sloppy game, Bulldogs sensation TaShauna Rodgers put on a clinic that featured passing, rebounding, steals, assists . . . and, of course, plenty of scoring.
Rodgers finished with a game-high 20 points. She added 17 rebounds, two steals and three assists. She might have had more assists, but teammates weren’t ready for some of her spectacular no-look passes.
The Bulldogs (23-3) will host Wilson - a 20-12 survivor of First Colonial’s slow-down tactics - in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal tonight.
Rodgers got help from Ransheda Jenning’s 15 points and Margaret Farris’ 10.
With King’s Fork up 35-23 at the half, the game turned into circus of miscues by both teams. The two combined for 44 turnovers.
Even so, the Bulldogs built a 20-point lead when one of Rodger’s three 3-pointers put her team up 47-27 with 6:23 left to play.
Menchville (12-13) was led by Rashida Elborne’s 10 points.
-- Lee Tolliver
Cox 54, Maury 50
The Falcons (15-11) survived a sloppy game thanks to Stefanie Fee's early scoring, Kim Maroon's late passing and plenty of poise from a freshman.
Cox led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, paced by Fee's nine – along with seven Maury turnovers in the final four minutes. But in the second quarter, the Commodores took care of the ball and Lamesha Deel scored all eight of her points to give Maury its first lead.
The Commodores (10-11) pushed their advantage to 35-31early in the third quarter before the turnover bug bit again. Maury coughed it up seven times in the final five minutes.
The two teams traded the lead seven times in the fourth quarter before a Maroon bucket gave Cox the edge for good with 1:57 remaining. Freshman Emory Camper scored eight points in the final four minutes, all on dishes from Maroon.
"We kept our poise in the second half," Cox coach Shannon Drury said. "It was close but, hey, it was win. We haven't won in the regionals since the 80s, so I'll take it."
The Falcons are at Heritage in tonight’s quarterfinals.
-- Kyle Tucker
Princess Anne 74, Booker T. Washington 29
The Cavaliers used a nearly seamless transition game and a dominant defensive effort from freshman Elizabeth Williams to cruise to the win.
Princess Anne will host Hampton in the quarterfinals tonight.
Williams, who scored seven points, came up huge in the low post, stifling the Bookers with 11 blocked shots and 9 rebounds. Tonya Clark led PA with 22 points. Raven Harris scored 15 and Courtney Braxton poured in 12 for the Cavaliers.
After jumping out to a 15-5 first quarter lead, PA went on an overwhelming 23-2 second quarter run aided by 20 first half turnovers. The Cavs maxed out with a game high 46-point advantage after Amanda Andrades bucket in the game’s closing minutes.
The 45-point margin of victory fell two points short of the teams’ regular season meeting, when PA defeated the Bookers 83-36.
“I think we still need to work on boxing out, working more on the inside and making better shot selections,” Clark said about looking deeper into the tournament. “There are always things to work on to better yourself.”
-- John Streit
Hampton 54, Nansemond River 49
Hampton, the No. 2 seed out of the Peninsula District, held off Nansemond River and advanced to a quarterfinal tonight night against undefeated Princess Anne on the Cavaliers' court.
Hampton built a 19-8 lead in the first half before Nansemond River's Andrea Jones scored eight consecutive points, pulling the Warriors to 19-16.
A 10-2 third-quarter run pushed Nansemond River to a 30-24 lead before the Crabbers took control with a 14-4 run of their own to end the quarter. Tiffany Davis had seven points in Hampton's spurt.
Hampton's largest lead was 48-42 with four minutes left. Nansemond River, the No. 3 seed out of the Southeastern District, pulled to 52-49 with 20 seconds, but Davis accounted for the final margin with a pair of free throws.
Davis led the Crabbers (21-5) with 19 points. Alyssa Bennett added 16.
Deshana Honore's 13 points led the Warriors, who finished their season with a 20-5 record. Jones wound up with 11 points, and Jessica Mays added 10.
-- Dan Cooley
Indian River 62, Bethel 46
Indian River guard Courtney Medley was unstoppable as she scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Braves at Nansemond River High School.
The Braves struggled early as Bethel took a 19-8 lead early in the second quarter.
But it was all Medley after that. She scored nine second-quarter points to help Indian River score the next 15 points. During that stretch, Bethel missed 12 consecutive shots.
Indian River ended up outscoring Bethel 20-2 in the last seven minutes of the quarter.
Indian River (19-6) also got help from Keiara Avant and Shanell Williams, who finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Bethel’s Amber Easter, the leading scorer in the Peninsula District and co-Player of the Year, was held to 14 points, three under her average. The Bruins (15-10) also got 12 points from Lorri Smith.
Indian River plays Lake Taylor tonight in the quarterfinals.
-- Larry Rubama
Heritage 61, Western Branch 37
Sonia Johnson and Bonae Holston each scored 18 points as Heritage downed Western Branch in an Eastern Region first-round game at Heritage.
The Hurricanes (22-2), the top seeds from the Peninsula District, will host Cox in the region quarterfinals tonight at 7 p.m.
Led by Johnson and Holston, two of the five Hurricanes that have signed to play Division I college basketball next fall, the Hurricanes expanded an eight-point first quarter lead to 16 at halftime. They then outscored the Bruins 14-5 in the third quarter.
Lauren Johnson added eight for the Southeastern District fourth-seeded Bruins (16-9), but Jessica Smith was held to just five, seven below her team-leading average.
-- Paul White
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