Josie Cross saw an opening. And she took it. Twice.
Cross followed her own miss by grabbing the rebound and laying off the glass for the game-winner in a 39-37 win against PikeView at Woodrow Wilson Thursday evening.
“I noticed the seconds going down real fast off the clock and I noticed I had an opening to shoot that (first shot),” Cross said. “I might have gotten a little bumped on it, but I didn’t want to whine about it. I just followed my shot and put it up strong.”
“Josie took a gutsy shot, missed it but followed her shot – old school, where you always follow your shot from 15 feet in – and it paid off for here with a put back,” Woodrow coach Brian Nabors said.
For Cross to follow or not follow the shot is a matter of where she is on the court.
“I kind of take it by where I am in the floor,” she said. “Most of the time if I’m below the free throw line I choose to go follow my shot but if I’m further out I figure it’s better to just go back and play defense.”
PikeView had the play defending well on the first shot, until it was launched.
“I thought Jaelynn Shrewsbury did a good job one-on-one with her, forcing up a poor shot,” PikeView coach Tracy Raban said. “I liked the first shot she got. We just didn’t finish it with a rebound, but that’s been us all year long. I’d like to know who many second and third chances they got. I thought our first defensive possession on them was pretty solid throughout the whole night but when you give them second and third chances with their height, you’re not going to win a ballgame.”
After getting the ball in the high post from Leilani Manns, Cross took one dribble and took the shot. The ball bounded off the left side of the rim and backboard. Cross had gotten by Shrewsbury and Haley Justice closed but was airborne attempting to black the shot and Cross got by her, grabbed the ball, and made what was almost a layup-line drill layup.
PikeView still had a shot on the other end.
Riley Meadows got the ball on the wing and drove the baseline toward the basket, but her shot was blocked by Manns. Brooke Craft retrieved the ball and tried to go inside with a pass, but it was deflected by Hopkins. Farmer got it but had to shoot a twisting three that missed its mark.
Cross led the Flying Eagles with 13, Somalia Nelson added 10 and Manns eight.
Justice ked the Panthers with 13 and Craft had 11.
The game had been back-and forth. Woodrow led by as many as eight in the second half, but PikeView came all the way back to take a 35-34 lead in the fourth quarter on a basket by Shrewsbury.
But Sarah Hopkins hit a huge corner 3 with 1:15 remaining to give the Flying Eagles a 37-35 lead.
PikeView’s Cat Farmer, the smallest player in the floor who played a large role with her endless energy, made two free throws to tie it at 37-37, setting up the final frenzied finish.
One thing I’m proud of, we almost gave it away and with a young team, they didn’t hang their heads, they kept fighting,” Nabors said. “They did what they had to do on the defensive end and got the stop. We got an opportunity to take the lead. And then we got another big stop.”
Hopkins looked to have the game winner with 1:15 remaining before Farmer’s free throws.
“I haven’t been shooting the ball well, but I’ve been in the gym,” Hopkins said. “It felt really, really good to hit that shot. It brought a lot of confidence back to my season.”
“She needed that,” Nabors said. “She wants it so bad, she’s had so much adversity in her career with injuries (one surgery on each knee over the last two years. She was struggling with her shot. It’s in her head. We believe in her. We want her to take that shot every single time. I thought she should have shot the ball more tonight. Hopefully this will give her some confidence going forward.”
Farmer played a big role as far as being a defensive nuisance, controlling the game from the point and hitting the two game-tying free throws.
“That kid has worked her tail off,” Raban said. “She played on a travel team this summer. She came to me and said she wished she had played travel all four years of high school. She will go against anyone, and she showed it tonight. A 6-foot-3, 6-4 girl and she’s battling right there with her (for rebounds and loose balls). She will take on any challenge. We go as she goes right now.”
Woodrow Wilson 39, PikeView 37
PikeView
Hannah Harden 3 0-0 6, Brooke Craft 4 3-4 11, Cat Farmer 1 2-2 4, Jaelyn Shrewsbury 0 0-0 0, Haley Justice 6 1-2 13, Riley Meadows 1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 16 6-8 37.
Woodrow Wilson
Addison Walker 1 1-2 3, Lethina Hazelwood 0 0-0 0, Josie Cross 6 1-2 13, Somalia Nelson 4 2-2 10, Sarah Hopkins 1 0-0 3, Karsyn Gunter 1 0-0 2, Leloni Manns 4 0-2 8. TOTALS: 17 4-8 39
PikeView 9 10 9 9 – 37
Woodrow Wilson 10 12 10 7 – 39
Three-point field goals – PV: 3 (Meadows), WW: 1 (Hopkins). Fouled out – None.
Westside 56, Bluefield 42
CLEAR FORK – Karsyn Paynter had 12 points nd grabbed 14 rebounds nd Laitlyn Lester had a team-high 13 points as Westside rolled to victory against Bluefield.
Westside took a 16-5 first quarter lead and went on to the convincing victory.
Rylee Brown added 11 point and Sarah Lilly nine for Westside.
Arionna Dowell led all scorers for 15 points to lead Bluefield.
Westside 56, Bluefield 42
Bluefield
Faye Jackson 1 0-2 3, Asia Padgett 0 0-0 0, Iyanna Patton 2 0-0 6, Raylee Simpson 0 0-0 0, Desiray Jackson 3 0-0 6, Cara Brown 3 1-4 7, Nyasia Hanley 1 0-4 2, Ava Spangler 1 1-2 3, Arionna Dowell 6 3-6 15. TOTALS: 17 5-18 42.
Westside
Kaylin Matney 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Lester 5 3-5 13, Kenzie Morgan 1 2-4 4, Rylee Brown 3 4-6 11, Daisha Cline 2 1-2 5, Sarah Lilly 2 4-6 9, Karsyn Paynter 4 4-7 12. TOTALS: 18 18-30 56.
Bluefield 5 10 13 14 – 42
Westside 16 14 12 14 – 56
Three-point field goals – B: 3 (Jackson 1, Patton 2), w: 2 (Brown 1, Lilly 1). Fouled out – W: Lester. B” Jackson, Spangler, Dowell.
James Monroe 85, Mount View 33
LINDSIDE -Maggie Boroski and Mary Beth Meadows posted double-doubles as the Mavericks rolled over Mount View Thursday.
Boroski had 25 points and 12 steals and Meadows 14 points and 10 assists.
James Monroe raced out to a 44-12 halftime lead and cruised to the finish.
Ashanti Bonds led Mount View with 26 points, including six three pointers.
James Monroe 85, Mount View 33
Mount View
Lakie Martin 0 0-0 0, Tay Wray 1 2-2 5, Ry Hood 1 0-2 2, Ashanti Bonds 10 0-0 26, Amya Cannady 0 0-0 0, Makayla Williams 0 0-0 0, Kaniya Smith 0 0-0 0, Zoey Price 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Cook 0 0-0 0, Jamaica Brown 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 12 2-4 33,
James Monroe
Mary Beth Meadows 6 0-0 14, Ava Dunlap 1 0-0 2, Maggie Boroski 11 2-6 25, Mya Dunlap 5 0-0 11, Aleigha Hill 3 0-0 6, Abby Mathis 3 2-2 8, Kinleigh Bradley 1 1-2 3, Ryleigh Jackson 2 2-2 6, Kenzie Taylor 1 0-0 2, Jordan Roberts 3 0-0 8, Lilly St. Clair 0 0-0 0, Hannah Terry 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 36 7-12 85.
Mount View 5 7 10 11 – 33
James Monroe 20 24 17 24 – 85
Three-point field goals – MV: 67 (Wray 1, Bonds 6), JM: 6 (Meadows 2, Boroski 1, M. Dunlap 1, Roberts 2). Fouled out – none
