Girls BB: Virginia High 46 Lebanon 44 - FINAL
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Lee lifts VHS girls past Lebanon in dramatic win
BRISTOL, Va. – The Virginia High Bearcats needed a hero Tuesday night against the Lebanon Pioneers and VHS girls basketball coach Kevin Timmons knew exactly where to turn.
With one minute and 11 seconds left and fans from both sides screaming, 5-foot-6 junior Amaya Lee calmly split the Lebanon defense and converted a running layup that gave the Bearcats a 46-44 Southwest District win.
VHS (9-9, 7-0) now has a two-game lead in the SWD standings over Lebanon (17-4, 7-2) with three district games remaining. The Bearcats will host Graham tonight, then travel to Graham on Friday and Richlands on Saturday.
After winning the Southern Empire Conference title the past two years, Timmons is eager for a hat trick in the SWD.
“We want to compete for championships every year and winning the SWD would be huge for us,” Timmons said.
VHS fell behind 25-16 with 1:05 left in the second quarter. The Bearcats then picked up the defensive intensity and tied the game at 28-28 with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
Timmons credited a halftime message by the team’s lone senior, Kerrigan Bailey, for igniting the rally.
“Kerrigan told the players that we weren’t losing this game, and she meant it,” Timmons said.
VHS was finally able to slow the backdoor cuts of Lebanon with equal doses of quickness and resolve against a Lebanon team that had just two reserves.
Following three defensive stops from Ale Sydnor and three defensive rebounds from Taylor Owens, Lee took an outlet pass from Owens en route to converting her decisive layup over two defenders at the court named after her grandfather, Ballard Lee.
“Coach Timmons told me to keep going and I just took the ball all the way without looking back,” Lee said. “I’ve been missing some layups lately, but I knew that if I took my time that the ball would go in.”
Lee has been a leader for the Bearcats on offense and defense since her varsity debut, so Timmons had confidence that his point guard could create more magic.
“Amaya has started every game in her career except maybe for a couple,” Timmons said. “I push Amaya. She accepts the challenge and usually finishes, and I knew she would do the same thing tonight.”
The Bearcats were led by Lee (13 points), Taylor Owens (nine points, eight rebounds) and Jada Campbell with nine points.
Lebanon, which has just an eight-player roster, has compensated for a lack of depth and size this season. The Pioneers were limited to just seven players Tuesday after Katie Hackney underwent a nose surgery that was not related to basketball.
“We’ve had a good year,” Lebanon coach Rex Parker said. “Averie Price and Kara Long have done most of the scoring for us while the other players have filled their roles.”
The focus of the VHS defense was to frustrate Price and Long.
“When [Virginia High] took those players away, our other girls stepped up,” said Parker, who hopes that Hackney can return in a week. “It was just a battle to the end. We missed a few easy shots down the stretch and [Virginia High] hit a few.”
The size issue for Lebanon is especially prevalent in the post where 5-foot-5 junior Alyssa Padilla usually guards the post players from the opposition.
“Yeah, you could say we are undersized,” Parker said. “That’s why we play around their perimeter and look to back backdoor teams.”
Thanks to her leaping ability, Padilla scored eight points Tuesday while Madison Varney (12 points) and Kayla Bollinger (10) also reached double figures.
“We didn’t sub a lot tonight and Virginia High kept running people in and out,” Parker said. “They sort of wore us down, but that’s no excuse.”
Immediately after the game, Parker showed his devotion to the program by keeping the scorebook for the Pioneer girls junior varsity team.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats continue their quest for another trophy behind the fearless Lee.
“Amaya brings the energy for us. Anytime we’re behind on the scoreboard or if we’re missing shots, Amaya is always there to pick us back up,” said Bailey, who was honored after the game on Senior Night.
“From my freshman to my senior year, there has been a huge difference in this program and team. That freshman year was a really rough patch for us. Coach Timmons completely changed the game for us and he made us love basketball again. You can tell by his motivation that he really wants it.”
The Bearcats began the season with a 2-6 record, including two setbacks against much-larger teams in a Hilton Head, South Carolina tournament.
“You always want to be playing your best going into the end of the season and I think we’re almost there,” Timmons said. “I think we’ve played seven games in 13 days and we have three more games this week.
“I’m just trying to get the girls to lock in every night. Those last five defensive possessions tonight were the best I’ve seen in a long time.”
BRISTOL, Va. – The Virginia High Bearcats needed a hero Tuesday night against the Lebanon Pioneers and VHS girls basketball coach Kevin Timmons knew exactly where to turn.
With one minute and 11 seconds left and fans from both sides screaming, 5-foot-6 junior Amaya Lee calmly split the Lebanon defense and converted a running layup that gave the Bearcats a 46-44 Southwest District win.
VHS (9-9, 7-0) now has a two-game lead in the SWD standings over Lebanon (17-4, 7-2) with three district games remaining. The Bearcats will host Graham tonight, then travel to Graham on Friday and Richlands on Saturday.
After winning the Southern Empire Conference title the past two years, Timmons is eager for a hat trick in the SWD.
“We want to compete for championships every year and winning the SWD would be huge for us,” Timmons said.
VHS fell behind 25-16 with 1:05 left in the second quarter. The Bearcats then picked up the defensive intensity and tied the game at 28-28 with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
Timmons credited a halftime message by the team’s lone senior, Kerrigan Bailey, for igniting the rally.
“Kerrigan told the players that we weren’t losing this game, and she meant it,” Timmons said.
VHS was finally able to slow the backdoor cuts of Lebanon with equal doses of quickness and resolve against a Lebanon team that had just two reserves.
Following three defensive stops from Ale Sydnor and three defensive rebounds from Taylor Owens, Lee took an outlet pass from Owens en route to converting her decisive layup over two defenders at the court named after her grandfather, Ballard Lee.
“Coach Timmons told me to keep going and I just took the ball all the way without looking back,” Lee said. “I’ve been missing some layups lately, but I knew that if I took my time that the ball would go in.”
Lee has been a leader for the Bearcats on offense and defense since her varsity debut, so Timmons had confidence that his point guard could create more magic.
“Amaya has started every game in her career except maybe for a couple,” Timmons said. “I push Amaya. She accepts the challenge and usually finishes, and I knew she would do the same thing tonight.”
The Bearcats were led by Lee (13 points), Taylor Owens (nine points, eight rebounds) and Jada Campbell with nine points.
Lebanon, which has just an eight-player roster, has compensated for a lack of depth and size this season. The Pioneers were limited to just seven players Tuesday after Katie Hackney underwent a nose surgery that was not related to basketball.
“We’ve had a good year,” Lebanon coach Rex Parker said. “Averie Price and Kara Long have done most of the scoring for us while the other players have filled their roles.”
The focus of the VHS defense was to frustrate Price and Long.
“When [Virginia High] took those players away, our other girls stepped up,” said Parker, who hopes that Hackney can return in a week. “It was just a battle to the end. We missed a few easy shots down the stretch and [Virginia High] hit a few.”
The size issue for Lebanon is especially prevalent in the post where 5-foot-5 junior Alyssa Padilla usually guards the post players from the opposition.
“Yeah, you could say we are undersized,” Parker said. “That’s why we play around their perimeter and look to back backdoor teams.”
Thanks to her leaping ability, Padilla scored eight points Tuesday while Madison Varney (12 points) and Kayla Bollinger (10) also reached double figures.
“We didn’t sub a lot tonight and Virginia High kept running people in and out,” Parker said. “They sort of wore us down, but that’s no excuse.”
Immediately after the game, Parker showed his devotion to the program by keeping the scorebook for the Pioneer girls junior varsity team.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats continue their quest for another trophy behind the fearless Lee.
“Amaya brings the energy for us. Anytime we’re behind on the scoreboard or if we’re missing shots, Amaya is always there to pick us back up,” said Bailey, who was honored after the game on Senior Night.
“From my freshman to my senior year, there has been a huge difference in this program and team. That freshman year was a really rough patch for us. Coach Timmons completely changed the game for us and he made us love basketball again. You can tell by his motivation that he really wants it.”
The Bearcats began the season with a 2-6 record, including two setbacks against much-larger teams in a Hilton Head, South Carolina tournament.
“You always want to be playing your best going into the end of the season and I think we’re almost there,” Timmons said. “I think we’ve played seven games in 13 days and we have three more games this week.
“I’m just trying to get the girls to lock in every night. Those last five defensive possessions tonight were the best I’ve seen in a long time.”
