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KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness and Cherokee will once again meet deep in the playoffs.
The second-seeded Villains made key plays down the stretch to tip the balance in a tight game and fended off third-seeded East Wilkes 45-36 on Monday at Bishop in the fourth round of the NCHSAA 2A West girls basketball playoffs.
“It’s really fun seeing how they figure things out when you don’t have that go-to player,” said Bishop coach Brian Robinson — who reached 600 wins for his career. “They figured things out. And they figured out: We’ve got to do it with defense and rebounding.”
Claire Sullivan scored 15 points to lead the Villains (24-3), in the regional championship for the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven seasons. Cecilia Drabik added 10 points, while Jenna Moore had eight points.
“We’re excited,” Drabik, a freshman guard, said with a smile.
“Yeah, very excited,” added Sullivan, a senior guard.
Bishop led much of the game — but not by much. It went up seven early in the second, but the Cardinals tied it late in the quarter and the Villains led 24-23 at halftime. Each team led in the second half, but Bishop finally sealed it late.
Sullivan made a 3 just before the buzzer that gave the Villains a spark and a two-point lead heading to the fourth. Then, with the score tied early in the fourth, Bishop scored eight straight for its largest lead with 2:40 left.
The Villains got one free throw from Sullivan and, after the second one missed, the East Wilkes rebounder instinctively went back up and scored. Sullivan added a driving basket and Drabik capped the run with a crucial 3 from the left wing.
“It’s definitely just following what Coach R’s saying,” Drabik said. “Running our plays well and just executing our defense and offense.”
“It’s executing both on defense and on offense,” Sullivan said. “We’re a super close team. So we know we can trust each other, especially down the stretch.”
Bishop, working the clock in the final couple minutes, made five of its final six free throws. It also held the Cardinals (24-2), led by Avarie Martin with 15 points, four points in their final nine possessions.
The Villains shot 31% from the field for the game — including 50% in the fourth. East Wilkes shot 39% — including 22% in the final quarter. Bishop forced 13 turnovers while committing eight of its own.
The Villains will next face familiar foe Cherokee (28-1), the West’s top seed, in the regional championship Saturday afternoon at 1 at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.
This will be the seventh time the teams — who have combined to win the last four state championships in the old 1A classification — have met in the regional semifinals or later.
Bishop, which also won a regular-season meeting in 2022-23, has a 4-2 edge — highlighted by three straight wins during its run of nine straight titles. But the Lady Braves have won the last two en route to winning back-to-back titles.
“Every game’s been right down to the wire — a play here, a play there,” Robinson said. “They bring the best out of us, and I think we do the same for them.
“And I’m thankful that we’re playing still. Going into this year, everyone said, ‘How are you going to be this year? Are you going to be in the same position again?’ And now we’re in the final four, and it’s a credit to these girls.”
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The second-seeded Villains made key plays down the stretch to tip the balance in a tight game and fended off third-seeded East Wilkes 45-36 on Monday at Bishop in the fourth round of the NCHSAA 2A West girls basketball playoffs.
“It’s really fun seeing how they figure things out when you don’t have that go-to player,” said Bishop coach Brian Robinson — who reached 600 wins for his career. “They figured things out. And they figured out: We’ve got to do it with defense and rebounding.”
Claire Sullivan scored 15 points to lead the Villains (24-3), in the regional championship for the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven seasons. Cecilia Drabik added 10 points, while Jenna Moore had eight points.
“We’re excited,” Drabik, a freshman guard, said with a smile.
“Yeah, very excited,” added Sullivan, a senior guard.
Bishop led much of the game — but not by much. It went up seven early in the second, but the Cardinals tied it late in the quarter and the Villains led 24-23 at halftime. Each team led in the second half, but Bishop finally sealed it late.
Sullivan made a 3 just before the buzzer that gave the Villains a spark and a two-point lead heading to the fourth. Then, with the score tied early in the fourth, Bishop scored eight straight for its largest lead with 2:40 left.
The Villains got one free throw from Sullivan and, after the second one missed, the East Wilkes rebounder instinctively went back up and scored. Sullivan added a driving basket and Drabik capped the run with a crucial 3 from the left wing.
“It’s definitely just following what Coach R’s saying,” Drabik said. “Running our plays well and just executing our defense and offense.”
“It’s executing both on defense and on offense,” Sullivan said. “We’re a super close team. So we know we can trust each other, especially down the stretch.”
Bishop, working the clock in the final couple minutes, made five of its final six free throws. It also held the Cardinals (24-2), led by Avarie Martin with 15 points, four points in their final nine possessions.
The Villains shot 31% from the field for the game — including 50% in the fourth. East Wilkes shot 39% — including 22% in the final quarter. Bishop forced 13 turnovers while committing eight of its own.
The Villains will next face familiar foe Cherokee (28-1), the West’s top seed, in the regional championship Saturday afternoon at 1 at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.
This will be the seventh time the teams — who have combined to win the last four state championships in the old 1A classification — have met in the regional semifinals or later.
Bishop, which also won a regular-season meeting in 2022-23, has a 4-2 edge — highlighted by three straight wins during its run of nine straight titles. But the Lady Braves have won the last two en route to winning back-to-back titles.
“Every game’s been right down to the wire — a play here, a play there,” Robinson said. “They bring the best out of us, and I think we do the same for them.
“And I’m thankful that we’re playing still. Going into this year, everyone said, ‘How are you going to be this year? Are you going to be in the same position again?’ And now we’re in the final four, and it’s a credit to these girls.”
Continue reading...
