Hopewell News

RICHMOND — After trailing by 13 at halftime, Thomas Dale appeared to come out and give Cosby its best shot in the third quarter. Unfortunately, after the third the Lady Knights still trailed by 13. However, a furious rally and a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play by Alyssa Frye sent Thomas Dale to an overtime period with the Lady Titans. From there, however, it was all Titans. Central Region player of the year Becca Wann scored seven points in overtime to help lift Cosby to the Central Region title, 88-83 over Thomas Dale.
“It was like a chess match,” Thomas Dale head coach Kevin Coffey said. “Who wanted it the most?”

First-half struggles: Cosby was riding high going into the locker room at halftime, and with good reason. The Lady Titans shot the ball at a 61.5 percent clip, held the Knights to 33.3 percent shooting and held a 13-point advantage. Cosby was able to turn solid defense into baskets on the offensive end. Thomas Dale only turned the ball over four times in the first half, but the Knights often looked uncomfortable in their offense and were unable to get good looks. When they got good looks, they missed them. Thomas Dale missed a number of close-range shots in the first, adding fuel to Cosby’s momentum. Cosby also hit

Second half turnaround: Picture the first half, now reverse it. In the second half, especially the fourth quarter, it was Cosby who looked uncomfortable on offense and unable to convert from close range and Thomas Dale who got the easy buckets underneath because of its defensive work. Point guard Ka’lia Johnson scored 18 of her game-high 34 points in the second half (excluding the overtime period) while Frye added 13 in the second half (26 total), including the 3-pointer to tie the game.

Johnson makes a difference: When you’re committed to Duke to play basketball, it means you can probably handle pressure. The junior did just that by not only upping her scoring, but lighting up the entire stat sheet in the second half. Johnson dished five assists and recorded seven steals along with six rebounds (15 total) in the second half. On Frye’s game-tying 3-pointer, is was Johnson who found the shooter in the corner on a drive-and-dish.

Too much Cosby: In the end, the stars came out when they were most needed for the Lady Titans. Wann’s seven points in overtime matched the scoring output for Thomas Dale as a team. She finished the game with 23 points and seven rebounds and got a lot of help from her friends. Jazmin Pitts finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds while Andrea Bertrand recorded 19 points.

What this means: By advancing to the Central Region final, both teams qualified for the state tournament. The win allows Cosby to play its games in the Stuart C. Siegel Center throughout. To get back to the Siegel Center, Thomas Dale must defeat Eastern Region champion Princess Anne, Saturday at William & Mary. The game tips off at 4:45 p.m.

Box Score

Thomas Dale 11 16 17 32 7 83
Cosby.......... 18 22 17 19 12 88
Thomas Dale: Frye 26, Johnson 34, Williams 0, Hobbs 2, Bradley 11, Sweeeney 10
Cosby: Nichols 5, Conyers 12, Wann 23, Bertrand 19, Pitts 26, Lennox 0, Vaughan 3