Maybe it’s because they know each other so well as AAU coaches. Though one’s a Group A public school and the other a Division 3 private school, these teams know one another quite well. Even still, it’s not often that both coaches come out of a tournament championship feeling great, but such was the case after Spotswood battled past Miller in the final of the NBC29/Daily Progress Holiday Classic, 45-39. The team’s third straight tournament victory, and fourth showing in the championship in as many years, had Blazers coach Chris Dodson in a not so surprising good mood after taking down a second quality Crozet team.
“It’s a great tournament for us because we played (Western Albemarle) which is such a well coached team – Kris Wright has done a nice job of scouting us – so that was super to go against that. And then today’s (game) was just a real difference in style,” Dodson said. “So we knew that we had to get them on the run because they were just way too big for us.”
On the other side, Miller coach James Braxton was also upbeat as his squad was without leading scorer Ashley Bowles because of an ankle injury and starting point guard Johanna Annunziata because of the snow storm in the Northeast. Yet even without those two key players, the Mavericks gave Dodson’s group a run for their money.
“I’ve very happy with them and that’s what I told them in the locker room,” Braxton said. “I look at it as a win. We played hard, played well. With just five or six kids we got exhausted at the end of the first half and started to do some things we hadn’t.”
Miller started off without missing a beat because of Bowles or Annunziata’s absence, taking an eight point lead early in the second quarter by making the most of its height advantage, crashing the boards and working underneath.
However Bailey Williams and Brianna Mitchell went on a scoring spree to close out the half that had Dodson ripping his tie off his neck in excitement. The spurt dug the Blazers out of the hole to take a 4-point lead at the half on a 15-2 run.
“In that one run, from the players on the bench to the crowd to the players on the floor, we all just went crazy,” Dodson said. “Sometimes that’s what it takes – to blow a little steam off and just have fun.”
During the second half, Miller tried to keep the game slow and methodically out-muscle their opponent while Spotswood looked to do the opposite by pushing up the tempo and peppering the Mavericks with outside shots and passing around the edges to split the defense for easy layups on cuts through the paint.
In both of the final two quarters, Spotswood was able to impose its style of play to maintain a three possession lead for the majority of the half. Although Whitney Martin and Taylor Sandridge were able to keep the Blazers from pulling away for good, Miller was never able to get within striking distance.
Mitchell earned the tournament’s most valuable player honors. The senior had 13 points in the win. K.K. Richardson threw in nine points while Briana Williams poured in 12.
Martin had 12 points in the loss. Sandridge had 11 and Ashleigh Claybrooks had six.
Miller (5-2) travels to Cape Henry on January 7.
