Southeastern girls hoops: Indian River, King's Fork gain final

Indian River used the in-your-face approach, while King’s Fork went the dare-you-to-shoot route.

Both defensive philosophies paid dividends, propelling the Braves and Bulldogs to victories in Southeastern District tournament semifinals Thursday night at King’s Fork High School.

Resurgent Indian River won its 12th consecutive game, smothering Nansemond River’s shooters in a 72-58 victory and earning a No. 2 seed in next week’s Eastern Region tournament. Regular-season champion King’s Fork, aided by a tight 2-3 zone defense, built a big early lead and held off Western Branch 63-53, avenging last week’s loss to the Bruins.

Indian River and King’s Fork meet at 6 p.m. Friday at King’s Fork for the championship. All four semifinalists have region tournament berths. Indian River (18-5) has picked up steam since a midseason loss to Lake Taylor, and on Thursday the Braves bolted to 20-point lead by the final minute of the third quarter.

Courtney Medley scored 14 of her game-high 24 points during the second quarter, while Keiara Avant poured in 13 of her 23 points in the third.

Nansemond River missed 15 of its first 16 shots of the third quarter and fell short after a frantic fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Shanell Williams led Indian River’s defensive charge, shadowing leading scorer LeCetra Arrington most of the night.

“Defensively we stayed on the shooter, played together and talked on defense,” said Medley, who buried seven of eight free throws in the fourth quarter. “We looked out for each other and knew where their shooters were at all times.”

Andrea Jones paced the Warriors’ late surge, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Arrington finished 16 points.

But they couldn’t catch Indian River, which during its streak has two victories over Nansemond River and another win against King’s Fork.

The Bulldogs (21-3) can avenge that loss and claim a second consecutive tournament title.

On Thursday, TaShauna Rodgers guided King’s Fork into the final by scoring 31 points. The Bulldogs raced to an early lead by unveiling a zone defense, daring the Bruins to shoot from outside.

Western Branch couldn’t crack the zone early, misfiring on 10 of 12 field goals and each of its first seven 3-point attempts.

“We tried to make them beat us from outside,” Rodgers said. “You’ve got to be in the right spot and not give them the open shots.”

The Bruins pulled within 41-37 in the final seconds of the third quarter, but Rodgers scored 11 points in the fourth to help keep King’s Fork in front. Jessica Smith led the Bruins with 19 points.

See a Photo Gallery from the semifinals.