ROANOKE, Va. – The final group of local regional championship games were played.
In Region 3D, Abingdon defeated Staunton River, 52-48. The Golden Eagles fought hard to erase a game-long deficit. A strong second half spearheaded by Ailynn MacAuley and Myasia Garrison had Staunton River within one point of Abingdon. But Annsley Trivette’s 26 points was too hard to overcome.
“I feel like they gave us everything they could and I mean you can’t control, you know, certain calls and things like that, but they did everything that we asked within their control,” said Staunton River head coach Kim Jones. “Everything happens for a reason, we just have to go handle business on Tuesday.”
Staunton River will play at Spotswood Tuesday in the Class 3 quarterfinals.
On the boys side of Region 3D, a strong start from Hidden Valley sent the Titans to a 57-46 championship win over Christiansburg.
“We’ve got a senior-led group, they never quit,” said head coach Brad Hutchins. “Last night we faced adversity, we told them today we were going to face some type of adversity, but stayed together as a team and they did.
While the Titans led throughout the game, the Blue Demons had a strong third quarter thanks to timely shots by Colton Epperly, Garrett Overbay and Brasen Hutchens. But Hidden Valley sealed the deal, earning the right to host a state quarterfinals game Tuesday.
“It means everything, I mean it’s been since like 2017 since they’ve come to State, so it means a ton,” said Titans senior Steele Torrence. “It took a lot, I mean we faced a lot of adversity all year and it just took teamwork. We’re all like best friends, so we all have a real good chemistry together.”
In Region 1C girls action, Galax defeated defending state champion George Wythe in overtime, 76-68. On the boys side, Fort Chiswell outlasted Parry McCluer, 76-74.