John Battle girls rally for OT win over VHS
BRISTOL, Va. – The John Battle girls basketball squad rejected any notion Saturday night that its win over Southwest District-leading Virginia High was any sort of fluke last month.
A Bethany Smith free throw and a block by Callie Haderer on a potential game-winning shot by Virginia High’s Taylor Owens got the Trojans to overtime and from there Battle brought home a 54-51 victory.
“My kids play so hard,” said Trojans coach Jeff Adkins. “They battled. They could have folded ship.”
After scoring 36 points in John Battle’s previous win over Virginia High, Haderer put in 25 points this time around, including the first bucket of overtime that gave the Trojans the lead for good.
Smith added two more free throws and a basket of her own in the extra session to finish with 12 points. Sydney Bailey chipped in with nine points and she and fellow forwards Michaela Monk and Maggie Deel grabbed critical rebound after critical rebound for the Trojans.
“The key is we went to the boards,” Adkins said. “The big kids went to the boards.”
Virginia High led 25-19 at the half and by as many eight points with just under five minutes remaining in regulation, but couldn’t put away the Trojans. In overtime, the Bearcats made just 1 of 7 shots and scored only three points.
Owens led Virginia High with 15 points, Ali Sydnor added 11 and Jada Campbell had 10.
“This was a good high school basketball game,” Adkins said. “It wasn’t helter-skelter. I thought both teams ran their offenses well; both teams got what they wanted. We were just lucky enough – and it is lucky – to get there. We had the right people in the right places at the right time.”
Due to an early deadline for weather concerns, the girls game ended shortly before presstime and the boys game was just underway.
The Battle boys went on to take a 75-59 win over the Bearcats.
BRISTOL, Va. – The John Battle girls basketball squad rejected any notion Saturday night that its win over Southwest District-leading Virginia High was any sort of fluke last month.
A Bethany Smith free throw and a block by Callie Haderer on a potential game-winning shot by Virginia High’s Taylor Owens got the Trojans to overtime and from there Battle brought home a 54-51 victory.
“My kids play so hard,” said Trojans coach Jeff Adkins. “They battled. They could have folded ship.”
After scoring 36 points in John Battle’s previous win over Virginia High, Haderer put in 25 points this time around, including the first bucket of overtime that gave the Trojans the lead for good.
Smith added two more free throws and a basket of her own in the extra session to finish with 12 points. Sydney Bailey chipped in with nine points and she and fellow forwards Michaela Monk and Maggie Deel grabbed critical rebound after critical rebound for the Trojans.
“The key is we went to the boards,” Adkins said. “The big kids went to the boards.”
Virginia High led 25-19 at the half and by as many eight points with just under five minutes remaining in regulation, but couldn’t put away the Trojans. In overtime, the Bearcats made just 1 of 7 shots and scored only three points.
Owens led Virginia High with 15 points, Ali Sydnor added 11 and Jada Campbell had 10.
“This was a good high school basketball game,” Adkins said. “It wasn’t helter-skelter. I thought both teams ran their offenses well; both teams got what they wanted. We were just lucky enough – and it is lucky – to get there. We had the right people in the right places at the right time.”
Due to an early deadline for weather concerns, the girls game ended shortly before presstime and the boys game was just underway.
The Battle boys went on to take a 75-59 win over the Bearcats.
