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Blues Open Up Pioneer Play With Two Home Wins
The Parry McCluer High School girls basketball team clamped down on defense to secure three victories last week, defeating Nelson County on the road before returning home to collect Pioneer District wins over Bath County and Craig County.
On Thursday, the Fighting Blues pulled away in the second half of a 53-31 win over Craig in Buena Vista.
Victoria Hamilton scored 16 of her game-high 18 points after the break, and she also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out three assists as PM improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the district. Kayleigh Ramsey added 11 points for the Blues, while Natalie Mohler and Emory Slagle each finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Daileigh Donithan paced the Rockets (1-10 overall, 0-3 district) with nine points. Brooklyn Cayton tallied seven markers for Craig, and Kallie Fisher posted six rebounds and five assists.
PM opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run, assuming a 20-8 lead on a Slagle 3-pointer with 5:46 remaining in the first half. But the Rockets would shut out the Blues down the stretch, countering with eight straight points of their own to trim the margin to 20-16 by halftime.
The Blues ramped up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, forcing 11 Craig turnovers and limiting the Rockets to just one field goal in the period. They also got Hamilton going, as the senior scored the first eight points after halftime as part of an overall 10-0 PM spurt.
“Second half, third quarter in particular, we were able to post Vic [Hamilton] up inside a little bit, and get some shooters in the corners ready to hit some shots,” PM head coach Adam Gilbert said. “We were able to get the ball inside, play inside-out a little bit better in the second half.”
PM led 32-20 by the end of the third, and the Blues created further separation early in the fourth quarter with another 10-0 run that put the game out of reach at 42-23.
Peira Conner contributed three points and six rebounds for PM, while Gracie Huffman and Madison Underwood chipped in four points apiece for Craig.
After a challenging first half, Gilbert was pleased with the way that the Blues responded to the changes in the game plan made during the intermission.
“You’ve got to be able to make in-game adjustments. …You can’t just get stuck in your ways,” the PM coach said. “I thought the kids did a good job of responding to that tonight.”
PM 47, BC 20
PM kicked off its Pioneer District schedule with a 47-20 victory over Bath County at home on Tuesday of last week.
Mohler poured in 21 points and dished out three assists for the Blues, and Hamilton totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Addison Lockridge tallied 14 points and five rebounds for the Chargers (33, 0-3) while Trinity Forbes notched Bath’s other six markers to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Blues came out firing from long range, knocking down five 3-pointers – including four triples from Mohler – as part of a 17-2 onslaught in the opening period. Despite eight secondquarter points from Lockridge, PM would extend its lead to 3410 by halftime.
“We were attacking the basket, and we looked pretty poised on offense,” Gilbert said of his team’s performance in the first half. “It helps when you’re hitting shots early; it gets you into the rhythm and the flow of the game.”
While the Blues’ offense cooled off after halftime, consistent defense and some woeful foul shooting from Bath – the Chargers missed all 12 of their free throws in the game – kept the home side in control.
“Our offensive execution, efficiency wasn’t as good as it was in the first half,” Gilbert said. “I thought defensively, we played pretty well. We limited them to pretty much one shot per possession.”
PM 24, NC 19
AshorthandedPMteamgritted out a 24-19 nondistrict victory on the road against Nelson County on Monday of last week.
Conner tallied eight points and six rebounds for the Blues, who were playing without Hamilton and Kayleigh Ramsey. Mohler notched seven points and four assists, and Josie Martinez finished with six points and seven boards. Kaydence Samuel led the Governors (0-11) with nine points.
PM won despite hitting just five field goals in the contest, as they finished 5-of-30 from the field – though the Blues did connect on 11-of-14 foul shots. The PM defense also held Nelson to a 7-of-28 clip from the floor and forced 24 turnovers.
Kylie Ramsey contributed three points, four rebounds and four steals for the Blues. Hanna Rivera and Sophia Piedra each scored four points for the Governors, while Piedra and Mari Mullins grabbed five rebounds apiece.
PM was slated to play host to Altavista on Monday. The Blues will play host to William Campbell on Thursday, with the varsity game only at 6 p.m., followed by a matchup with Gretna at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout at Rockbridge County High School. PM will return to district action at home against Eastern Montgomery on Tuesday, starting with JV action at 5:30 p.m.
