MHS girls finish second in district
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| Joey Stinchcomb (above) scored 20 points in Middlesex’s win over West Point. |
To host tourney game on Feb. 15
by Tom Chillemi
The Middlesex High girls varsity basketball team defeated Tidewater District foe West Point 57-46 in a hard-fought battle on February 6 in its final regular season game.
The Lady Chargers lost to district champion Mathews 47-40 on February 2 and finished 6-2 in the district and 7-11 overall.
Against West Point, the Lady Chargers controlled the game most of the way but the Lady Pointers refused to quit.“We kept throwing knock-outblows to build on our lead, but every time we looked at the scoreboard they were right with us,” said Middlesex coach Neil Wake. “We changed offenses and even applied pressure, but they wanted this game as much as we did.
“I was very proud of our girls and how they responded after coming off a disappointing loss in Mathews,” said Wake.
The Lady Chargers now have their sights set on the district tournament, which begins Wednesday, February 15. MHS will host King William at MHS in Saluda in a semifinal game at 6 p.m.
“We must now prepare for our new season and make the most of our new opportunities as they arrive,” said Wake.
The girls district tournament finals will be at King William High School on Friday, February 17, at 6:30 p.m.
Against West Point, Joey Stinchcomb had 20 points and 8 rebounds for the Lady Chargers; Bridgette Self, 12 points, 2 assists, 4 steals; Grace Rutkowski, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals; Megan Payne, 8 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block; Brittin Payne, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals; and Nila Robinson, 2 points, 2 rebounds.
The Lady Chargers fell behind early and gave up 20 points in the first quarter. “We never could get over the hump after that,” said coach Neil Wake.“If we had played the first quarter the way we played the rest of the game, there may have been a different result.”
Middlesex allowed just 27 points over the next three quarters.
Against Mathews, Megan Payne had 16 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks for the Lady Chargers; Bridgette Self, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists; Grace Rutkowski, 5 points, 3 rebounds; Lara Lucas and Joey Stinchcomb, 4 points each; and Nila Robinson, 1 point.
