Posted by Jami Frankenberry on 2/29/2008, 8:36 am, in reply to "Defense comes easy for a girl who spent years trying to check her four brothers"
70.155.70.112
With every missed layup, every clanging jump shot, every turnover, the hope for a second-half comeback evaporated for the Wilson girls basketball team.
Heritage took advantage of Wilson’s woes, dominating on both ends after halftime during a 56-35 victory in Thursday night’s Eastern Region tournament semifinal at Churchland High School.
Heritage (24-2) earned a spot in Monday’s championship game against either Princess Anne or Lake Taylor – they play tonight – and secured a second consecutive berth in the Group AAA state tournament.
Wilson’s season ended at 23-5 on a frigid shooting night. The Presidents scored just 15 points and missed 20 of 25 shot attempts after halftime.
Standout guard JoNiquia Guilford was held to a season-low eight points – 12 below her season average.
“We weren’t playing up to our potential,” Guilford said. “We just didn’t play as well as we usually do.”
While Wilson struggled, Heritage thrived.
Sonia Johnson scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and spearheaded an onslaught to start the fourth quarter.
The Hurricanes scored the first 15 points of the final period. Johnson, saddled with foul trouble in the first half, poured in 10 in the quarter.
During halftime coach Michael Gardner had a simple message for Johnson: “Get on the floor and play.”
“I just sucked it up and played harder and played stronger,” Johnson said. “In the first half I let the referees and the players get in my head.”
Johnson’s layup with 1:28 left in the third quarter put Heritage up 36-26, and Guilford made a 3-pointer 13 seconds later. But the Presidents were scoreless for nearly eight minutes after that.
During that stretch Wilson went without a basket on 15 possessions, missing 12 shot attempts and committing five turnovers.
Heritage’s frontline of Johnson, Bonae Holston and Brittney Thorpe – all 5-foot-10 or taller – dominated the paint. Wilson managed two offensive rebounds during its scoreless stretch.
Wilson was bidding for its first state tournament appearance since reaching the championship game in 2004. Instead the Presidents lost in the region semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Wilson’s futility in its latest appearance was surprising during a season in which it scored 80 or more points seven times and averaged 67 points per game. It was the Presidents’ second-lowest output of the season, behind a 20-12 victory on Monday against a stalling First Colonial team.
On Thursday, Wilson led only once at 7-6 and trailed 27-20 at halftime.
“In the first half we were getting the rebound and pushing the ball up the floor,” Wilson coach Roger Smith said. “In the second half we weren’t able to do that.”
Cick for Pix:
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/photo-gallery-thursdays-eastern-region-hoops-semifinals
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