ROANOKE, Va. – Regional playoff action was in full swing Tuesday night with a handful of teams punching their tickets to the VHSL state tournament.
We were treated to a third match up between cross-town rivals Patrick Henry and William Fleming, with the right to play for a region title and a spot in the state tournament on the line. While the two teams split the regular season series, the Patriots built separation in the second quarter on their way to a 26-14 halftime advantage.
William Fleming was held to one field goal in the third quarter and couldn’t find momentum offensively. Jada Cook took advantage, scoring a game-high 22 points as Patrick Henry defeated William Fleming 51-26 to advance to the Region 5C Final on Friday where they will face James River-Midlothian. The Patriots also return to the Class 5 state tournament.
“One of the things we told them at halftime after creating separation is take care of the ball,” said Patrick Henry head coach Blue Cook. “Fleming likes to create chaos, create turnovers and I thought we did a great job. I said it before and I’ll say it again and not just because she’s my daughter--we have one of the best point guards in the state and tonight she proved.”
“We knew we could do it and we knew we could do it all year long and this is really a big step for us,” said Patriots guard Ainsley Gibson.
In Region 4D, the Salem girls had no problems against Jefferson Forest. Gabby Crawley led the way with 19 points in the Spartans 55-33 victory over the Cavaliers.
“We set the tone with our defense, if we can get our press going and get some turnovers and easy baskets and settling into the game, we were able to do that tonight. It feels great, I told the kids after Friday, I’m just glad to be practicing one more day., I hope to keep it going as long as we can,” Spartans coach Scott Jester says.
In boys action, Cave Spring completed a comeback win over Lord Botetourt 60-47. Despite holding a double-digit lead early in the game, the Knights rallied behind Kam Tinsley who scored 17 points. They will face Tunstall in the Region 3D semifinals on Friday night.