CHARLESTON, W.Va. — James Monroe led Wyoming East by four points with the 3-minute mark approaching in Tuesday’s Class AA quarterfinal.
The No. 5 seed Mavericks had possession, but the fourth-seeded and two-time defending state champion Warriors had begun to charge back, having trailed by nine only 2 minutes earlier.
James Monroe’s Kendall Long let a deep two-pointer fly from off the right wing, and it found its way through the net off the backboard to push the Mavericks’ lead to six. Shortly after, Mya Dunlap made a three-pointer to up the lead to seven with 1:45 remaining, and James Monroe made the necessary plays late to dethrone the Warriors, 50-44, at the Charleston Coliseum.
“We told them at halftime if we can match our offense with what we’re doing defensively, we’re going to win this game, and that’s exactly what we did,” Mavericks’ head coach Angela Mann said.
The result sends James Monroe (20-3) to a state semifinal against top seed Wheeling Central.
“It feels good but at the end of the day, there’s still more to go,” said Mavericks’ senior starter Maggie Boroski.
Neither team led by more than four throughout the first half, with Wyoming East (14-5) guard Cadee Blackburn making three three-pointers over the first two quarters to help her team enter the break with a 24-21 lead.
But after making nine first-half field goals, the Warriors went the entire third quarter without one, managing only two points on free throws while missing all seven of their shots.
As WEHS struggled to develop rhythm against the Mavericks’ 3-2 zone, JMHS began to take control of the contest. A Bryleigh Thomas layup with 5 minutes left in the third gave the Mavericks a 25-24 lead — one they’d never relinquish.
“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s been us all year,” Warriors’ head coach Ryan Davidson said. “We’ve gone through droughts where we just couldn’t score the basketball, and if it wasn’t for the way we defend, we’ve probably had lost a few more games.”
Ava Dunlap accounted for the next points on a paint basket with 2:58 remaining in the third, and with Mann’s team still clinging to a three-point lead late in that quarter, Mya Dunlap connected on a triple from about 5 feet beyond the arc to send her team into the fourth with a 32-26 advantage.
“I saw the clock running down and looked up,” Mya Dunlap said. “I knew I had to put it up and thankfully it went in.”
Rylee Brown’s three with 6:58 left in the fourth marked the Warriors’ first second-half basket, but they only trailed by three at that point.
While the Mavericks got field goals from Thomas, Long and Ava Dunlap during an ensuing 6-0 spurt that made it a nine-point margin, Blackburn ran off the next five points and Alivia Monroe’s follow-up basket had the Warriors to within 40-36 at the 3:26 mark.
Long’s bank shot followed, and after Mya Dunlap answered an Abi Baker layup with a trey, the Mavericks led by no less than six over the final minute.
“I felt good about where we’re at even as badly as we were playing,” Davidson said. “The bank shot that went in hurt. I could see the look on everybody’s face like ‘oh, it’s that night.’ They made plays and that’s what this tournament is about.“
Mya Dunlap led all players with 16 points and added eight rebounds.
Ava Dunlap added 14 points in the win.
Despite missing all nine of her field-goal attempts, Boroski was a major contributor with game highs of 10 boards and five assists to go with five steals.
“I was pretty frustrated because I can usually get downhill and score those baskets,” Boroski said. “It wasn’t falling tonight, but I needed to play my part and help the team as much as I could. Just because I wasn’t doing it on one side doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it on the other.”
Long led all players with six steals in the win and was a key factor in the Warriors’ 21 turnovers as well as the effectiveness of the 3-2 zone.
“They’re a lot like us. They want high pressure basketball and we refused to give it to them,” Mann said.
Blackburn led Wyoming East with 15 points and Baker scored 11 with seven rebounds. Monroe added six points and eight boards in the loss.
“James Monroe did a good job defending us. The book was out on us early to play zone and make us do things from the perimeter,” Davidson said. “We try to make the right plays, but sometimes we try too hard and they end up in live ball turnovers.”