Please check back as Dan Sousa has photos and videos to upload from Richmond from the Eagles historic victory Tuesday. See below for the Box and the game story!
Richmond (Mar. 10, 2009) - Just four years ago the Freedom High School girls basketball team suffered through an inaugural one-win campaign and now the Eagles are just one win away from a state title.
While Freedom’s 27-2 season has been a dream compared to that first 1-21 season in 2005-06, Tuesday morning looked like it could be the end of the line for Freedom and spectacular point guard Meixandra Porter as Millbrook led for most of the contest and was up 39-31 in the fourth quarter.
Porter, who admitted after the game to shedding some tears of frustration at her day which included a 1 of 12 start from the field, wasn’t about to let her team down or her high school career end and she sparked Freedom to a 16-2 run that sent the Eagles on to a 50-43 victory over the Pioneers in the AA Division 3 semifinals.
Porter had a huge 3-pointer to tie the game with 5:14 left and then stole the ball and put the Eagles ahead with a twisting, tough layin.
“It was either she sucked it up or our season was over,” said Freedom coach Jason Eldredge after the game.
The Eagles 6-foot-3 junior center Kelsey Buchanan finished with her typical double, a 16-point, 16-rebound performance that included six blocks, including a monster block on one end and then putback on the other end that energized the large student contingent that made the ride down I-95. All told, Freedom brought eight busses of supporters as the school and community have come to embrace their team during this magical run.
Freedom is now one win away from doing something that no other Loudoun boys or girls team has ever done … win a VHSL state title in basketball. The 19988 Loudoun Valley boys and 1994 Loudoun Valley girls made it to the finals only to lose.
Millbrook fell to Freedom by 18 points in the Region II finals just a little over a week ago but the Pioneers came out with a new gameplan Tuesday and it worked as they limited Buchanan early with double-teams and forced the Eagles out of their offense.
On their end, Millbrook was hot from the outside as the duo of Tylesa Harper-Scott (18 points) and Lacey Harris (8 points) buried early 3-pointers. Harris had all eight of her points in the first half and attempted just two field goals in the second half as she was in foul trouble, picking up her fourth foul with 2:03 to go in the third and then sitting out for a long stretch before fouling out with 3:17 to play and Freedom up, 43-41.
The Eagles swarming defense limited the Pioneers to just one field goal in the final 7:30 of the game, after Madison Baker’s jumper put the Pioneers up 39-31.
Dionna Scott (a double-double herself with 16 points and 11 rebounds) made a layin to start the run. Kim Koditek connected on two free throws to make it a 39-35 game with 6:37 left.
Buchanan’s block and follow cut it to two but Courtni Green got one point back at the line for Millbrook.
Porter, who had been left open to an extinct on the perimeter, stepped up and took the biggest shot of the contest … a 3-pointer that swished to the delight of the Eagle students behind the basket. That tied the contest at 41-41 with 5:14 still to play.
On a roll now, Porter made her steal and layin to put the Eagles ahead for what turned out for good with 4:23 left.
The Eagles had a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Millbrook by a 46-31 margin and Buchanan had a huge rebound when she plucked a missed Porter free throw off and laid it back in for a 45-41 lead with 3:13 left.
The missed free throws almost cost Freedom a chance at history as the Eagles struggled to a 13 of 26 day from the line including a trifling 11 of 24 mark in the second half.
Another Porter steal and layin by Scott gave the Eagles breathing room, putting them up, 47-41, with 2:55 left.
Harper-Scott connected to cut it to four with 2:42 left but Freedom was able to dribble some time off the clock and even a couple of turnovers did not hurt them as Millbrook couldn’t take advantage on the offensive end. A couple of free throws in the waning seconds made the final score, 50-43.
VHSL AA Division 3 Girls State Semifinal
Freedom 50, Millbrook 43
Millbrook (25-3): Sams 1 0-1 2, Mead 1 0-0 2, Green 2 5-6 9, Tylesa Harper-Scott 6 3-3 18, Harris 2 2-4 8, Baker 1 0-0 2, Tarin Harper-Scott 0 0-0 0, Silver 1 -0 2. Totals 14 10-14.
Freedom (27-2): Buchanan 6 4-5 16, DScott 6 4-10 16, Koditek 1 2-2 5, Mayo 0 0-2 0, Porter 3 3-7 10, Turpin 0 0-0 0, CScott 0 0-0 0, Poindexter 1 0-0 3, Haas 0 0-0 0, Putnam 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 13-26 50.
3-Point Field goals: Millbrook 5-15 (Tylesa Harper-Scott 3-7, Harris 2-4, Sams 0-1, Green 0-1, Madison 0-1, Tarin Harper-Scott 0-1), Freedom 3-8 (Poindexter 1-2, Koditek 1-3, Porter 1-3).
Rebounds: Millbrook 31 (Sams 9, Green 6, Mead 4, Tylesa Harper-Scott 4, Harris 3, Silver 2, TEAM 2, Baker 1), Freedom 46 (Buchanan 16, DScott 11, TEAM 7, Koditek 3, Mayo 3, CScott 3, Porter 2, Turpin 1).
Assists: Millbrook 9 (Sams 2, Green 2, Tylesa Harper-Scott 2, Harris 2, Mead 1), Freedom 11 (Porter 4, DScott 2, Koditek 2, Buchanan 1, CScott 1, Poindexter 1).
Turnovers: Millbrook 19 (Tylesa Harper-Scott 5, Harris 4, Sams 3, Mead 3, Green 3, Baker 1), Freedom 20 (DScott 7, Porter 5, Buchanan 3, Mayo 3, Koditek 2).
Blocks: Millbrook 1 (Green), Freedom 9 (Buchanan 6, DScott 1, Koditek 1, Mayo 1).
Steals: Millbrook 5 (Green 3, Sams 1, Mead 1), Freedom 13 (Porter 5, DScott 5, Mayo 2, Haas 1).
Personal Fouls: Millbrook 16 (Harris 5, Sams 3, Mead 3, Green 2, Tylesa Harper-Scott 1, Baker 1, Silver 1), Freedom 13 (DScott 4, Buchanan 3, Mayo 2, Haas 2, Koditek 1, CScott 1).
FG%: Millbrook 8-26 (30.8) first half, 6-24 (25.0%) second half; 14-50 game (28.0%)
FG%: Freedom 8-30 (26.7) first half, 9-19 (47.4) second half; 17-49 (34.7%) game
3FG%: Millbrook 4-9 first half (44.4%), 1-6 second half (16.7%), game 5-15 (33.3)
3FG%: Freedom 2-3 first half (66.7), 1-5 second half (20.0), game 3-8 (37.5)
FT%: Millbrook 7-9 first half (77.8), 3-5 second half (60.0), Game 10-14 (71.4)
FT%: Freedom 2-2 first half (100), 11-24 second half (45.8%), game 13-26 (50.0)
Score by Quarter
Millbrook 8 19 10 6 - 43
Freedom 9 11 11 19 - 50