Bassett 54, Northside 38
Girls AA Final, 12/02/00 2:30 pm
The Bassett Lady Bengals took the term "team" to new heights today as four Lady Bengals, led by Amber Tripletts' 17 points, scored in double figures to capture the Virginia VHSL Group AA Girls Basketball State Championship by defeating Roanoke's Northside High School, 54-38.
In a very hard fought game, Bassett controlled tempo in the first half as both teams fought off championship game nerves. Bassett had the 18-13 halftime lead.
Play picked up dramatically in the second half as Lauren Ellis (11 pts) and Charlotte Blerndell (7 pts) led a spirited Northside comeback that culminated in their first lead of the game 34-33 with 6 minutes, 25 seconds left in the final quarter.
Bassett point gaurd and leader Rhonda Perkins quickly re-established control hitting two 15 foot jumpers and two free throws to take the 39-34 advantage.
Bassett slowly built on that lead and at the end led in every statistical category including the most important one, the final scored 54-38, Bassett !
Basset sophmore forward Shirley McCall (10 pts) drives to the hoop on a fast break in the fourth quarter.
Bassett Head Coach Pat Hicks moments after her team won the State Championship.
Athlete Game Stats:
Bassett High School
Northside High School
Northside 58, Matoaca 50
Girls AA Semi-Final, 12/01/00 7:00 pm
Northside High School (24-3) rallied from a 7 point halftime deficit to defeat Matoaca High School 58-52 in the Virginia State Group AA Semi-Final. Brittnie Hughes led the Vikings with 18 points and 4 assists, while backcourt mate Laurie Ellis chipped in with 14 points.
Trailing 30-23 at the half, the Northside Vikings turned up the heat on the Matoaca Warriors (22-4) with relentless full court pressure in the second half. They forced an unbelievable 40 turnovers for the game.
Matoaca was up 39-38 at the start of the 4th quarter. Northside took its' first lead of the night 41-38 as Ellis opened the quarter by draining a 3 and never looked back. Octavia Thompson (23 points, 5 assists, 6 steals) and Tiffany Tucker (17 points, 11 rebounds) kept it close but, in the end, it was the outstanding defense of Northside that spelled the difference. Tiffany Tucker (Nbr 35) is pictured on the left posting up in the paint late in the fourth quarter.
Northside, a local Roanoke favorite, had a large crowd that kept the emotions high. But Northside was already playing with high emotions. Prior to the game, the team received a phone call from teammate Ashley Blankenship from the UVa Hospital. She urged her teammates to win the semi-final and move on to the championship game. Ashley suffered a broken back in a car accident last week. Her jersey, number 52, was worn by a four foot stuffed bear and sat on the bench the entire game.
Northside moves on to face Bassett High in the State Championship Final, Saturday 2:30pm, Salem Civic Center.
Bassett 63, Charlottesville 58
VHSL Girls Group AA Semi-Final, 12/01/00 8:30 pm
The Bassett Lady Bengals lived up to their nickname as they fought and clawed their way to a 63-58 win over the Charlottesville Blacknights in the Virginia VHSL Girls Group AA State semi-final game at the Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia.
Both teams featured aggressive full court defensive pressure throughout the game. The pressure took it's toll on both teams as the Lady Bengals comitted 36 turnovers and the Blackknights 31 turnovers for the game.
The lead changed hands several times during the first hald with Bassett finally clinging to a 2 point lead, 29-27, at the end of the first half.
The second half was no different as neither team was able to forge more than a 4 point lead throughout the 3rd quarter.
Shanika Howard (20 points) pushed Charlottesville ahead 54-52 with about 3 minutes remaining in the game, but it was Shirley McCall, a 5 foot 9 inch sofphmore forward for Bassett, that stole the show. On three straight possessions, McCall slashed to the basket to score as Bassett built a 4 point lead over the Charlottesville Blackknights. McCall finished with 20 points including 6 fo 6 from the charity stripe. Lakin Byer contributed 16 points and 10 strong rebounds for the winners.
The Lady Bengals now move on to face the Northside Vikings in the VHSL Group AA State Final, Saturday, 2:30pm, Salem Civic Center.
