Photos by Leigh Downey
The James River girls will take on top-seeded Liberty tonight in a Region 2C basketball semifinal game at Bassett High School. A berth in the state tournament will be on the line when the two teams meet at 6 p.m.
River earned a spot in the region semifinal with an exciting 42-41 win over Martinsville on Monday night in Springwood. Audrey Benson’s layup in the final seconds put the Knights on top as River came from eight points down after three quarters to pull out the win.
“It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but I’ll take it,” said River coach Ryan Firebaugh. “I could not be more proud of my girls for the way they battled the whole game.”
River fell behind 13-7 after the first quarter and the Knights were still down 21-17 at the half. The visiting Bulldogs outscored River 10-6 in the third period to open a 31-23 lead with eight minutes to go, but the Knights clawed back and pulled out the win.
“We had some people step up and hit some key shots and get those key steals when we needed them the most,” said Firebaugh. “The girls played hard and were on the ground the last quarter for every loose ball. We were not going to be denied winning that game. When I took my last timeout the girls were talking amongst themselves in the huddle and I could see the fire and determination in their eyes.”
Caitlin Canada led the Knights with 16 points, four rebounds and four steals. Siera Davis had 10 points and four steals and Benson, Kelsi Maydian and Honesty Liming had six points each. Liming also had 10 rebounds.
Now 14-10, the Knights will play top-seeded Liberty High tonight at 6 p.m. at Bassett. The winner will play for the region championship Friday at the Roanoke College Cregger Center at 6 p.m., and both teams advance to the state Class 2 tournament.
“Liberty is a pretty solid team,” said Firebaugh. “They have a girl inside who is 6’3” and she’s a pretty good player. They also have a guard who is a pretty good shooter. They play in the tough Seminole District and all they play against are 3A and 4A schools. With us being in the Three Rivers District and them being in the Seminole District we both are used to tough games.”
