Booker T., Lake Taylor post routs to make state tourney
Class 3 Region A semifinals Booker T. Washington 75, Grafton 50:
The sixth-seeded Bookers (17-9), already ahead 39-30 at halftime, outscored Grafton 18-4 in the third quarter and captured a state tournament berth by defeating the No. 2 seed Clippers (19-4) on Thursday night at Norfolk State. Jacob Powell, Zymareon Mitchell, Antonio Williams and Carmello Browne scored in double figures for the Bookers, who hit 29 of 55 field-goal tries, including 8 of 16 3-pointers.
Kyler Coleman’s 21 points and Jeremiah Roe’s 10 led Grafton. Lake Taylor 86, Lakeland
46: Rodney Baines and Jamari Edwards scored 16 points apiece as the Titans romped to a state berth, outscoring the Cavaliers 24-5 in the first quarter and outrebounding them 43-18 for the night. They will face Norfolk rival Booker T. Washington for the region title at 3 p.m. today at NSU’s Echols Hall.
Baines grabbed 10 rebounds, Shahide Battle had three dunks, six assists, four rebounds and four steals, Elijah Washington had 14 rebounds and three steals and Triston Skipwith had four 3-pointers and four steals. Jonathan Smith and Travell Almond were the only Cavaliers to score in double figures, and Lakeland committed 20 turnovers to Lake Taylor’s nine. Class 5 Region A semifinals Kempsville 62, Cox 51: With a packed, rocking home crowd watching, the top-seeded Chiefs played their way into the state tournament by defeating the Falcons.
Kyree Demiel scored seven of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, Savon Sandiford netted 16 points and Emmanuel Angila and Jayon Griffin added 10 points apiece for coach Darren Sanderlin’s team. Griffin distributed six assists.
Cox’s Ben Nacey led all scorers with 22 points, and Tyler Hines added 11. Green Run 62, Indian River 37:
The No. 2 seed Stallions (16-7) captured their fifth state tournament berth in six seasons and played Kempsville for the region crown Friday night. Tre Miller scored 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter for Green Run and grabbed 10 rebounds. Julius Hymon added 15 points and three steals, and Kass Jackson had 11 points and 10 assists. Davion Riddick provided almost half of the Braves’ points with 18. Class 2 Region A semifinals
Bruton 57, Nandua 48: The No. 2 seed Panthers captured a state tournament berth with a home victory over the No. 6 seed Warriors from the Eastern Shore. Brandon Freeman had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Josh King had 13 points and six rebounds.
Bruton traveled to Huguenot High in Richmond to play in the region championship game Friday night against defending state champion John Marshall, whose Justices of recent years have been considered one of the nation’s best teams in any classification. The Justices won their past two playoff games, including Thursday’s, by a combined 137 points. Girls TCIS semifinals Catholic 80, Hampton Roads Academy 13: Olivia Bowes had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 1 seed Crusaders, while Keira Kilkenny had 11 points and seven rebounds. Kenzie Cooper led the No. 4 seed Navigators with six points and 10 rebounds, but they trailed 29-4 after a quarter and 51-6 at halftime.
Norfolk Christian 63, Steward 61: Abuna Ruop scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds as the tournament host and No. 3 seed Ambassadors edged the No. 2 seed Spartans to earn a berth in today’s noon championship game against Catholic. Ellery Giddens scored 17 points and Justice Brown-Jones 16 for Norfolk Christian. Sanai Green scored 33 for Steward.