Scrimmage Play correspondent Delaney White contributed to this recap.
Miller girls basketball’s dominance of VISAA’s Division II has hit a couple of snags the last few years. A championship game loss in 2019, a state final four loss in 2020 and a covid-shortened 2021. The Mavericks seem intent on making sure 2022 ends differently.
“We’ve been going at it in practice,” said Miller’s Presleigh Braxton. “It has been tough to get there and then lose right at the last second and we don’t want that to happen again.”
Miller certainly came out on a mission Wednesday night, rolling 63-23 over Norfolk Christian in the VISAA Division II quarterfinals to punch the Mavericks’ ticket to the state final four at Benedictine where they’ll face Seton Friday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals.
Braxton led the Mavericks’ assault with 18 points, getting off to a fast start with nine of those points coming in a huge first quarter where Miller built a 21-5 lead with some suffocating pressure defense. Braxton capped that frame with a buzzer-beating three to wrap the first quarter for the Blue Ridge Conference champions.
“The biggest challenge for us has been getting out of our own head,” Braxton said. “With us pretty much dominating everyone in the conference, this is state play, this is different we can’t always go in thinking we’re going to win.”
Alary Bell scored 16 points in the paint to set the tone for Miller inside and Naomi Ryan chipped in another 10 points while Brooklin Ingram had seven.
After building that early lead, the Mavericks mostly continued to step on the gas, holding Norfolk Christian to five points in the second quarter, five in the third quarter and 23 total for the game. Miller allowed just seven total field goals, including a trio of 3-pointers. It was a masterclass in defensive dominance. Now Miller gets to see if they can keep that intensity and approach rolling in the state semifinals.
“I feel like we’re ready,” Miller coach James Braxton said. “We haven’t played a ton of games like we have in previous seasons, but I feel like we’re ready.”
