by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
Back in November, L.C. Bird‘s girls had a lot to work on. Things didn’t look too promising as the Skyhawks were dismantled in a scrimmage.
Three months later the work has paid off.
Bird toppled Monacan 53-33 Friday night in the Central Region semifinals at VCU’s Siegel Center, earning their second straight state Group AAA tournament and region final berth.
“At the beginning of the season, the girls didn’t know their roles,” Bird coach Chevette Waller said. “They had to find out where they fit in. We had to become a team.”
What a team they’ve been this week.
The Skyhawks (21-6) dismantled a good Deep Run team by over 30 points in the first round, and then turned in back-to-back beautiful defensive performances in a four-point win over Atlee and Friday’s win.
That sets up a region final rematch Monday at 6 p.m. at the Siegel Center with Mills Godwin, ironically the aforementioned scrimmage opponent who thumped the Skyhawks.
The Eagles rallied to defeat the up-and-coming Thomas Dale Knights in the first semifinal.
“I think both teams have changed [since November],” Bird star Ruthanne Doherty said. “As a new team, we’ve come really far.”
It was all Bird from the tip, as the Skyhawks jumped out to a 15-4 lead capped by a 3-pointer from the left pocket from Bianca Vaughan.
The Skyhawks had all of the momentum and energy early and it carried them to a 24-12 halftime lead as Victoya Ricks (eight points) and Candice Silas (four) were the only Chiefs to score in the first half.
The much smaller Skyhawks also controlled the backboards, a huge task against a Monacan team that fielded three 6-footers in Ricks, Silas and Rachel Robinson.
“We knew coming out that turnovers, rebounds and who could put the ball in the hoop was going to be key,” Monacan coach Larry Starr said. “We lost in those three areas.”
The lead grew to as big as 16 points as Doherty (team-high 17 points), Barbara Sitton (11) and Zukye Smith (nine) kept Bird’s offense pumping.
The Chiefs had one run left in them spurred on by full-court pressure. They went on an 8-3 run to start the fourth quarter, getting four of the points from Ricks.
The sophomore poured in a game-high 19 points as only four Chiefs put the ball through the net the entire night.
From there, Sitton and the Skyhawks started taking care of the ball better and stroked their free throws down the stretch to become Godwin’s dance partner Monday night.
“We’ve been coming out hard for the past few games,” Sitton said. “Every single person is stepping up. We’re just all clicking so well.”
Monacan 6 6 10 11 – 33
L.C. Bird 18 6 12 17 – 53
Monacan (21-7): Gray 2, Pullen 0, Ready 0, E. Meyer 0, Rainey 0, Ricks 19, Bacile 0, Toombs 0, Beadles 0, Silas 8, Robinson 4, Hatcher 0. Totals: 16 1-4 33.
L.C. Bird (21-6): Vaughan 7, Miles 0, Robinson 0, Reynolds 5, Doherty 17, Sitton 11, Smith 9, Coles 2, Kohler 0, Harris 2, Tweedy 0. Totals: 16 18-20 53. 3-point goals: Vaughan, Reynolds, Sitton.
Processing your request, Please wait....
