ROANOKE, Va. – They split the regular season meetings with each team wining one game--which meant Wednesday night William Fleming and Northside boys would battle for the Blue Ridge District regular season and tournament titles.
The Colonels had the momentum to start the second half as Jamaal Chrisp helped William Fleming build an 11 point lead.
But the Vikings stormed back. Cy Hardy helped spearhead the scoring in the paint and beyond the arc. Equally as impressive--Mykell Harvey paced the Vikings with his ability to play above the rim. He scored 19 points in the second half before finishing with a game-high 28 points.
While Jaron Walker and Isaac Higgs each scored 17 points for the Colonels, Northside’s defense shut things down late as the Vikings prevailed 78-64.
“I thought the guys just did a fabulous job,” said Northside head coach Bill Pope. “We kept trying to run the floor and get baskets. In the end we made great shots to help turn it and our defense really made fantastic stops too.’
“Coach Pope told us to keep playing hard,” said Mykell Harvey. “We were doing good we just had to box out and trust each other on extra passes.”
Fleming’s Walker earned Blue Ridge District player of the year while Pope was named Blue Ridge District coach of the year.
On the girls side of the Blue Ridge District, Lord Botetourt defeated William Fleming 57-52 to claim the district title.