By Lee Tolliver
The Virginian-Pilot
? February 25, 2013
NORFOLK
Featuring a pair of Division I-bound players, it was fitting that Sunday's Eastern Region girls semifinal at Scope came down to final shots by each. Feyonda Fitzgerald made her shot, Adrienne Motley didn't and Lake Taylor won a 52-51 squeaker over defending region champion Woodside. The Titans (25-0) advance to their first region final since 2010, where they lost to eventual state runner-up Princess Anne. Lake Taylor is shooting for its first region title in today's 6 p.m. championship against the Cavaliers, who beat Maury 48-33 in the first semifinal.
With the win, Lake Taylor also earned a berth in the Group AAA quarterfinals Friday against either Highland Springs or L.C. Bird, which meet in tonight's Central Region championship. With Lake Taylor holding a 49-46 lead with less than three minutes left, the Miami-bound Motley hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie it, then hit a short jumper from the left wing for a two-point Wolverines lead after Fitzgerald had missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. But with less than a minute remaining, Fitzgerald hit her third 3-pointer of the game from the right wing for what would turn out to be the final score.
After being called for traveling, Motley got another chance and air-balled a jumper from the foul line. Aianna Kelly got the offensive rebound, but missed and the loose ball went out of bounds to Lake Taylor with .8 seconds left.
"She willed us to win," Lake Taylor coach Saundra Sawyer said of the Temple-bound Fitzgerald. "Her supporting cast helped us tremendously and had to. As good as she is, Feyonda could not have done it all by herself." Woodside (26-2) took a 26-21 halftime lead largely on the strength of Motley's 14 points, and built it to an eight-point advantage when she nailed a jumper from the right wing. But Lake Taylor fought back, cutting the lead to two when Fitzgerald converted a three-point play on a layup and foul shot. Endia McKinney then tied it at 30 when she collected a loose ball under the basket with 4:14 remaining. "It was a great game, but we missed too many opportunities and they got too many 3s," Woodside coach Mike Tallon said. "We handled their pressure well, but our emphasis was to limit their 3s." Lake Taylor finished with a 7-2 advantage from beyond the arc. Fitzgerald scored 23 points, while McKinney added 14. Jordan Mitchell-Harmel had a game-high 13 rebounds. Motley led all scorers with 31 points.
The Virginian-Pilot
? February 25, 2013
NORFOLK
Featuring a pair of Division I-bound players, it was fitting that Sunday's Eastern Region girls semifinal at Scope came down to final shots by each. Feyonda Fitzgerald made her shot, Adrienne Motley didn't and Lake Taylor won a 52-51 squeaker over defending region champion Woodside. The Titans (25-0) advance to their first region final since 2010, where they lost to eventual state runner-up Princess Anne. Lake Taylor is shooting for its first region title in today's 6 p.m. championship against the Cavaliers, who beat Maury 48-33 in the first semifinal.
With the win, Lake Taylor also earned a berth in the Group AAA quarterfinals Friday against either Highland Springs or L.C. Bird, which meet in tonight's Central Region championship. With Lake Taylor holding a 49-46 lead with less than three minutes left, the Miami-bound Motley hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie it, then hit a short jumper from the left wing for a two-point Wolverines lead after Fitzgerald had missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. But with less than a minute remaining, Fitzgerald hit her third 3-pointer of the game from the right wing for what would turn out to be the final score.
After being called for traveling, Motley got another chance and air-balled a jumper from the foul line. Aianna Kelly got the offensive rebound, but missed and the loose ball went out of bounds to Lake Taylor with .8 seconds left.
"She willed us to win," Lake Taylor coach Saundra Sawyer said of the Temple-bound Fitzgerald. "Her supporting cast helped us tremendously and had to. As good as she is, Feyonda could not have done it all by herself." Woodside (26-2) took a 26-21 halftime lead largely on the strength of Motley's 14 points, and built it to an eight-point advantage when she nailed a jumper from the right wing. But Lake Taylor fought back, cutting the lead to two when Fitzgerald converted a three-point play on a layup and foul shot. Endia McKinney then tied it at 30 when she collected a loose ball under the basket with 4:14 remaining. "It was a great game, but we missed too many opportunities and they got too many 3s," Woodside coach Mike Tallon said. "We handled their pressure well, but our emphasis was to limit their 3s." Lake Taylor finished with a 7-2 advantage from beyond the arc. Fitzgerald scored 23 points, while McKinney added 14. Jordan Mitchell-Harmel had a game-high 13 rebounds. Motley led all scorers with 31 points.
