By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
In the season’s first two meetings between cross-county rivals Monticello and Western, the Mustangs pulled out narrow victories after tight back-and-forth contests. In Saturday’s Region II Tournament Final, Monticello opened a two-possession margin midway through the first quarter, and widened it over the rest of the evening as the Mustangs claimed the program’s first Region II Championship with a 50-37 win.
“It always makes it special when you win against a rival; whether it’s a scrimmage or regular season, but definitely in a game as big as this,” said Monticello coach Josh McElheny. “It’s fun looking down the bench and seeing people you know down there.”
For senior guard Bridget Holleran, playing her last game in Monticello’s gym, the raucous student section turnout added even more to the stakes of a rivalry-championship game.
“They definitely brought a lot of enthusiasm and got us pumped,” said Holleran. “We just came out with the mentality that this was a regional game, and we need to prove that we’re way better than this team, unlike other games that we’ve played. It just felt really good. It was the best game of my career.”
After the teams exchanged baskets to start the game, Monticello moved ahead 11-5 with 2:30 left in the first after Holleran hit a three and sophomore forward Reagan Roberts scored on a put back. Western closed the quarter with a couple of buckets to make it 15-11.
Early in the second, Western’s defense extended to disrupt Monticello’s half-court offense, forcing errant passes and traveling violations outside the three-point arc. However, the Warriors were unable to put points on the board and take advantage.
With 5:09 left in the half, sophomore forward Molly Shephard’s layup on a fast break from a Western turnover put the Mustangs up 19-11, and forced Warriors’ coach Kris Wright to call timeout. Minutes later, Monticello freshman Kiana Scott came off the bench and hit a pair of long two-point jumpers to open a 12-point lead. Western scored the next five points, including a three by senior guard Kathryn Crickenberger, to pull within 25-18 at the break.
“We talked about coming out to a good start,” said McElheny. “The last two games have just been battles all the way around. We actually tried to play a little slower, play at their pace and make them do some things that they’re not used to doing. We talked about getting the lead early and not looking back.”
Monticello used a 9-2 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter to establish a 14-point lead. A couple of minutes later, Holleran executed a steal-and-score to put the Mustangs up 38-25.
“Usually when we play Western we’re a little too aggressive,” Holleran said. “We tried to be more reserved and get the steals that we knew we could get instead of just gambling. So, I made sure I was going to get that steal.”
Once again, Western closed out the quarter with a pair of buckets by forcing turnovers on the Mustangs’ ensuing possessions. The Warriors were within single digits at 38-29 entering the fourth, but could not draw closer. Monticello maintained a 10-point lead as McElheny directed his offense to work on the clock after a timeout with 5:08 to play. Junior forward Cierra Hall’s put-back off a missed free throw with 1:13 left sealed it for the Mustangs.
“We had some defensive breakdowns in that first quarter,” Wright said. “So we slowed them down after that. After that our defense was decent. I won’t say it was great, but it was decent. It wasn’t good enough obviously.”
Holleran finished with a game-high 15 points for the Monticello. Shephard and fellow sophomore Meghan Comer each added 10. Crickenberger led the Warriors with 13 points, while senior Abigail Sewell tallied 11 off the bench.
Monticello (23-2), now winners of 18 straight, faces Poquoson in a Division 3 state tournament quarterfinal, while Western will take on Region I champion Brunswick. Both game locations will be announced by the VHSL on Monday, though it appears likely Western will head to Old Dominion University while Monticello will travel to James Madison.
