By Betsy Haugh / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Miller’s girls basketball squad put together a strong defensive performance Tuesday night, defeating Albemarle 50-20 to advance to the semifinals on the girls’ side of the Daily Progress Holiday Basketball Classic.
An early press and strong defensive play from the tip-off held Albemarle scoreless until sophomore Kaila Wood drained a three pointer with 1:30 remaining in the first period to get her team on the board following a 14-0 run from Miller to start the game.
“We press a lot,” said Miller head coach James Braxton. “It definitely caused some turnovers early in the game and allowed us to pull away pretty good in the first half.”
The Miller offense was hot from the beginning as well, finding a balance of scoring both in the paint and outside.
“We started going inside early and that kind of opened up the outside, so once we could kind of get things going inside, it made the open shots outside a little easier,” Braxton said.
Miller, the two-time defending VISAA Division III State Champions, is on a mission to capture the tournament title, after falling in the championship game two of the last three years. The Mavericks will rely on captain Whitney Martin, a member of 2010’s all-tournament team, to lead their quest for a trophy.
“Whitney can definitely stroke it, and we definitely look for her to knock down outside shots, but she also does a good job rebounding and playing defense for us, so we definitely wouldn’t be where we are without Whitney,” Braxton said.
Martin led the Miller offense with 21 points on the night. Fellow junior and captain Taylor Sandidge recorded 12 points for the Mavericks.
For the Patriots, a young team optimistic about its future, freshman Katurah Johnson led her team with five points, all coming from the free throw line, followed closely by sophomore Carolyn Chapman, who proved to be a spark off the bench scoring four points.
“We have a young group – we’ve got two freshmen, seven sophomores, three seniors, and two juniors – and it’s the type of team where they have to work on their skills, ball handling number one, and just being confident,” said Albemarle head coach Harry Terrell. “We’ve got to learn how to play competitively. Until we do that we’re going to struggle a little bit, but hey that’s what it’s all about, trying to get from 1 to 9 or 10, and for some teams it’s quicker and it’s easier, and for others it takes time. We have to be patient.”
The Patriots, now 2-7 on the season, fall to the loser’s bracket and will face Waynesboro in the second game on day two of competition at Western Albemarle High School Wednesday at 4:45.
Miller, who improved to 8-1 with the win, will meet up with Charlottesville High School in Wednesday evening’s second semifinal game slated to begin at 8:15 also at Western Albemarle.
