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Poor Shooting, Turnovers Doom Blues In Pioneer Tourney
Just like the regular season, the Parry McCluer High School girls basketball team placed second in last week’s Pioneer District tournament, but getting there was a struggle, as points were at a premium and field goal percentages plummeted in the two postseason games.
The Fighting Blues (17-5 overall, 6-2 district) advanced to the championship game with a 35-26 victory over third-seeded Eastern Montgomery (5-18, 3-5) in the semifinals on Tuesday of last week in Buena Vista before suffering a 59-28 road loss to regular-season champion Narrows on Friday.
PM was scheduled to play host to Galax, the third seed from the Mountain Empire District, last night. The regional semifinals and championship game are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday, both at 6 p.m. at Northside High School in Roanoke. For last night’s result and tournament updates, visit www.thenewsgazette. com.
Reviewing his team’s performance in the Pioneer District tournament, Gilbert said, “We are going to have to be better. We didn’t quit, but in the half-court, it was tough getting anything going.” For the two games in the Pioneer tourney, the Blues shot a mere 30.2 percent from the floor, making just 19 of their 63 shots. At the same time, they committed a combined 44 turnovers in the two contests.
PM SENIOR guard Natalie Mohler takes the ball down the lane while guarded by Eastern Montgomery’s Lyla Jo Sutphin (10) during the Blues’ 35-26 win in the Pioneer District semifinals. Mohler led the Blues with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds and four steals. (Ronnie Coffey photo)
FIGHTING BLUE sophomore guard Emory Slagle dribbles the ball during the semifinals. (Ronnie Cofey photo)
PM was able to overcome those miscues in the semifinal round, thanks in part to the efforts of senior guard Natalie Mohler, who came up with several key plays at some crucial moments.
The Blues went more than seven minutes without a bucket to open the game against Eastern Montgomery and trailed by two points with 1:05 to play in the period. But Mohler drained a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the quarter to put PM on top, 6-5. Thirty seconds later, she picked up a steal and fed Josie Martinez for a bucket in the paint, and when Peira Conner converted one of two free throws with eight seconds left, PM held a 9-5 lead after the first eight minutes.
Mohler drained two more 3-pointers in the second quarter, the last giving PM an 18-9 cushion. But the Mustangs closed the first half with a 7-0 run, and Brookelyn Kingery’s trey pulled Eastern Montgomery to within two, 18-16, at intermission.
The EM run continued after the break, and the Mustangs held a 21-19 advantage midway through the period, but Mohler came to the rescue again.
With 4:23 remaining in the third, Mohler converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Blues back on top. Just over a minute later, her steal led to a Conner fastbreak layup to extend the lead to 24-21. Kayleigh Ramsey converted another EM turnover to a bucket in the paint to give PM a 26-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter; the Blues never trailed again.
In addition to her trio of three-pointers, Mohler went 4-for-5 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and pilfered four steals.
“I thought Natalie played well tonight,” Gilbert said. “She was our offense tonight. She shouldered the load a little bit. She stepped up.”
Conner grabbed eight rebounds and chipped in seven points for the Blues. Eastern Montgomery was led by Karsen Underwood’s seven points.
Mohler opened the final period with a pair of baskets in the lane to push the lead to six points, 30-24, and the PM defense held the Mustangs to a single field goal in the period. The Blues hit three of their six foul shots in the final 1:30 to preserve the win.
“The old adage is, ‘A win is a win,’” Gilbert said. “Tonight we didn’t put our best foot forward, [but] we were able to grind it out.”
Narrows 59, PM 28
Friday’s Pioneer District championship at Narrows was never in doubt, as the Green Wave (16-4, 8-0) raced out to a 27-8 halftime lead and never looked back in adding the district’s tournament crown to their regular-season title.
In three meetings this season, Narrows has won all three games against the Blues, with a 69-38 win at Narrows on Feb. 7 and a 44-32 victory at PM on Feb. 14. Last year, PM won the district title by defeating Narrows 55-52 in the finals.
Last Friday, the Blues shot just 27.6 percent (8for-29) from the floor, including an 0-for-8 performance from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 26 times, leading to 27 points for the home team.
Martinez led the way for the Blues, tallying 11 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Mohler added seven points to the PM effort.
Karsyn Reed and Kailyn Jones each scored 13 points to pace Narrows.
DRIVING TOWARD the basket, PM senior Victoria Hamilton leaves Eastern Montgomery’s Karsen Underwood trailing. Hamilton led the Blues with 10 rebounds. (Ronnie Coffey photo)
