Sam Brunelle did a commendable job of staying composed the entire game with things, particularly in the second half, not going William Monroe’s way. She’d shown tiny, understandable cracks in the armor just twice on the night despite getting battered and hounded from the opening tip, but never let anything boil over.
So when she hit her 2,000th-career point and the public address announcer paused the game to recognize that career accomplishment as time expired in a 62-40 loss to Hopewell in the Class 3 state quarterfinals, it was completely understandable that the junior’s emotions and tears flowed. Those tears continued for William Monroe in the locker room as the Dragons reckoned with an incredible season coming to an abrupt end at the hands of the Blue Devils’ full tilt, end-to-end press.
“When they cried tonight it wasn’t because they lost it was because we can’t be together anymore every day,” said William Monroe coach Jess Stafford.
Hopewell, the Class 3, Region A champions at 23-1, pounced on William Monroe (23-2).
Not in the first half. During the first two quarters the Blue Devils were content to let the Dragons sit back in a zone and play at a deliberate pace.
But when the second half started, Hopewell sprung the trap, pressuring Monroe relentlessly and forcing a string of backcourt turnovers to blow open a game that Hopewell led just 22-18 at the break. They also intensified their focus on Brunelle after halftime, adding a trap to standout freshman Messiah Hunter’s already pretty effective effort that helped limit Brunelle to 22 points in the game.
“That was the game plan all week, be in her face,” said Hopewell coach Jackie Edmonds. “Don’t let her get the ball and if she gets the ball and passes don’t let her get it back. That’s something we worked on all week. In the second half we told (Hunter) keep doing what you’re doing but we’re also going to send someone else at her too. (Hunter) did a great job on defense.”
Hunter led the Blue Devils with 20 points and had an explosive third quarter with 11 of her 20 coming as she helped finish off some quick fastbreaks off turnovers created by the press.
“Messiah has turned up big for us this year, she has the ability to do things that most freshmen can’t,” Edmonds said.
William Monroe couldn’t find a way to counter the press, though they’d prepared all week with a particular focus on what they knew was eventually coming from Hopewell.
“All week long we ran a bunch of high pressure situation drills, we ran a press break drill where there’s 12 defenders on the court and you’re beating it with three kids,” Stafford said. “We were ready for it but I think what happened is the ball doesn’t fall your way when it’s tight or a call doesn’t go your way when it’s tight… I think we got a little frustrated.”
Hailey Morris finished with eight points for Monroe, including a pair of 3-pointers while Iyanna Carey chipped in six.
Tyjana Simmons scored 17 for the Blue Devils to complement Hunter’s 20-point effort while Courtney Scott had 11 and went 5-for-6 at the free throw line. Alena Pua’auli-Pelham scored 10 for Hopewell.
The Dragons don’t have a single senior on the roster and employ up to three freshmen at a time around Brunelle, haven’t been in the state tournament since the 1980s and struggled to handle the pressure created by Hopewell’s relentlessness. Looking forward, the Dragons can look to Hopewell for a blueprint. Last year, the Blue Devils absorbed a 50-33 defeat at the hands of Magna Vista in the state quarterfinals and that experience seemed to pay off this season against the Dragons.
With everyone slated to be back next year, this season, as memorable as it has been, could be just the preface instead of the ending for this edition of the Dragons. But 23 wins, a district championship and the first state tournament berth in 30 years is an historic season by any measure.
“This is the most special year I’ve ever been involved with an it has nothing to do with winning 23 games or going to state or anything like that,” Stafford said. “This group of kids is incredible, the bond they have is special.”
