Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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| Lady Cougars' season ends in state final four |
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
By JOHNNY BUCK -
RICHMOND - Millbrook High School entered this state semifinal contest with a sterling 20-0 record.
Make that 21-0.
The Lady Pioneers topped Patrick County 61-35 in VCU's Siegel Center today, advancing to the state championship game.
Millbrook jumped all over PCHS by shooting 69 percent as a team on the way to a 26-6 lead after the first quarter.
From there, the Pioneers maintained a comfortable margin for the rest of the contest.
The loss means Patrick County's season has come to a close with a 17-10 overall record.
Kylene Culler led PCHS with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Casey Bradshaw and Whitney Bowers added seven points each.
Millbrook sophomore Courtni Green led all scorers weith 20 points.Sara Mead added 15 points, while Alisha Mobley and Emily White added seven points apiece.
Pick up a copy of Wednesday's Martinsville Bulletin for full coverage and photos of today's PCHS game.
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At this point, there are just 3 minutes, 45 seconds left on the clock. When it hits all zeros, Patrick County's girls basketball season will be come to a close.
The undefeated Millbrook Lady Pioneers are leading PCHS 56-30 in this state semifinal contest. The outcome has never been in question, as PCHS fell behind 19-4 early in the first quarter and has not been able to get any closer since.
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Kylene Culler just sank two free throws but the Lady Cougars still trail Millbrook by 22 points, 46-24.
Culler has been one of the only bright spots for a PCHS team that was hoping to knock off this undefeated Millbrook squad.
Though the score may look lopsided to PCHS fans, it's nothing new for Lady Pioneer faithful. Millbrook has won its 20 games this season by an average score of 78-40.
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Though Patrick County finally seemed to settle down toward the end of the second quarter, the damage has been done.
Millbrook leads 36-14 at halftime of this state semifinal game in the Siegel Center on VCU's campus in Richmond.
To put it bluntly, the Lady Pioneers look faster, more confident and more aggressive. Their man-to-man defense has been so good as to prevent PCHS from even setting up its halfcourt offense at times.
Millbrook has made 3 of 5 3-point attempts and 9 of 10 free throws so far. In comparison, the Lady Cougars have yet to hit a trey, going 0-4 so far. They're also shooting just 23.1 percent as a team (6 of 26).
PCHS is losing the turnover battle 14-4.
Courtni Green, the Millbrook sophomore who entered this game averaging 26 points per game, has scored 13 points to lead all players. Emily White is second on the team with seven points.
Kylene Culler leads Patrick County with six points and seven rebounds. No one else on the team has more than two points.
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This is not how Glenn Burnett wanted the game to begin.
Patrick County's girls basketball team has fallen behind 26-6 after the first quarter of this state semifinal game in Richmond.
Millbrook shot 69 percent from the floor in the first period of play, compared to Patrick County's 20 percent effort.
The Lady Pioneers also forced seven PCHS turnovers while committing just three themselves.
For PCHS, Kylene Culler has four of her team's six points.
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The average margin of victory for Millbrook's undefeated girls basketball team has been 38 points per game this season, and thus far, it's not hard to tell why.
The Lady Pioneers are playing suffocating defense and efficient, transition offense. With 2:20 remaining in the first quarter, Millbrook leads Patrick County 12-4 in this state semifinal game.
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A long season of hard work is about to get put to the test in a very big way, as Patrick County's girls basketball team is set to play the undefeated Millbrook Lady Pioneer (20-0) in a matter of minutes.
Both teams are finishing shoot-arounds here in Virginia Commonwealth University's Siegel Center here in Richmond. The winner of this game will advance to the Division 3 state championship game.
I'll be shooting photos for the game in addition to my typical reporting duties. Still, I'll do my best to keep you updated on the game's progress. No doubt, this will be a huge test for PCHS (17-9), but at the same time, a team doesn't get this far in the postseason without being very talented in its own right. |
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