Lakeland, Lafayette gain state bids
Both teams rally late for victories
NORFOLK — It took Lakeland High 30 years to reach its first girls basketball state tournament. The Cavaliers liked it so much that they’ve turned it into a habit.
The No. 4-seeded Cavaliers staged an improbable rally to defeat No. 1 Hopewell 43-38 in the Class 3 Region A semifinals Saturday at Scope. The victory sends the Cavaliers into the Class 3 state tournament for a third consecutive season.
Lafayette will look to cultivate a similar habit, having gone 50 years since opening without ever reaching a girls state tournament. The No. 2 Rams put that streak to bed with a 31-30 win over No. 3 Norcom in the second semifinal. They rallied to score the final seven points before surviving two missed free throws by the Greyhounds with 1 second remaining.
Before moving on to the state quarterfinals, the Rams (19-7) and the two-time defending champion Cavaliers (14-10) will play for the region title. That game is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Scope
Lakeland’s place in the final seemed unlikely when it fell behind 22-10 to Hopewell early in the third quarter. The Cavaliers’ culprits were 1-of-20 shooting from 3-point range and 11 turnovers to that point.
But seniors Kianna Gray, Jaelyn Brown, Ja’Naja Artis and Nyeshia Savage are all veterans of the Cavaliers’ previous state tournaments.
Gray (13 points) began their first rally, an eight-point run, with a 3-pointer, pulling the Cavaliers to within four points. After the Blue Devils (18-3) stretched their lead back out to eight points early in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers started making some 3s.
Gray hit a 3 and Brown added two 3s as part of a 15-2 run that lifted the Cavaliers into a 36-31 lead with less than 3 minutes remaining. Hopewell — led by Alexis Edmonds (15 points) and Erin Edmonds (13) — got back to within a point with a minute left.
Artis, who had 19 rebounds to go with her nine points, made four free throws and a basket in the last minute to clinch the victory for the Cavaliers.
“They had to start falling some time,” Cavaliers coach Daryl Rountree said of the key 3-pointers. “It would’ve been very disappointing for the seniors not to get back to the state tournament because I want them to go out on top.”
The second semifinal was close throughout as everyone on the floor focused on defense and Lafayette star Alexis Blake (15.8 ppg) and Norcom standout Tia
Johnson (16.7 ppg) had to battle just to find room to maneuver.
After Lafayette led 20-19 at halftime, it appeared the Greyhounds’ zone defense turned the game in their favor. Johnson hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give the Greyhounds a lead they stretched to 29-24 after three quarters.
But the Rams’ 2-3 zone was even better. Johnson (12 points) hit a free throw in the early
moments of the fourth quarter to increase the Greyhounds’ lead to 30-24, but they did not score again.
Blake (18 points) took over for the Rams, muscling into the lane to score all seven of their fourth-quarter points. Five of those points came on free throws, the final two coming with 2:53 left to give the Rams a 31-30 lead.
That was the score when Johnson tied up the Rams’ Sarah Lynch for a jump ball that gave the Greyhounds possession with 6 seconds to go. Johnson drove the basket after taking the inbound pass and was fouled shooting with a 1 second left.
She missed both free throws, however, and Blake rebounded to secure Lafayette’s victory.
“It feels great to be on the first Lafayette team heading this way and it feels great to make history,” Blake said. “I’m so proud of my team for making it this far.”
Lafayette coach Bill Tose said, “You don’t lose with Alexis. She got that look in her eye, [so you] feed her the ball and good things will happen.”