Madison County wins Region B title

In Harrisonburg, it wasn’t particularly easy, but Tim Taylor’s Madison County boys basketball team delivered another win on Saturday, this time in the Region B, Division 2 finals at Eastern Mennonite University, David Falk’s 15 points led Madison to a 56-48 victory over Dan River for the title.

Sam Utz and Logan Terrell each chipped in 12 points In an up-tempo matchup, the Mountaineers (27-0) held Dan River’s JMU-bound Darren White to just five points. White came into the championship averaging over 19 a game.

Dan River cut the lead to one several times throughout the second half, but in the end, Madison’s legs proved to be too much for their opponents. The Mountaineers will have almost a week off to prepare for next week’s state tournament and await word on the location and opponent.

Miller knocks off Blue Ridge
In Lynchburg, in a tight, low-scoring affair, Miller School got some late game heroics and a hard fought VIC Division I championship at Virginia Episcopal School on Saturday, knocking off Blue Ridge 48-45.

The Barons still held a three point lead going into the final period, and with time running out and the game tied at 45, Mavericks junior Mychal Parker hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift his team to victory. Parker led Miller (23-3) with 16 points and Marshawn Powell added 14. Hippolyte Tsafack posted 10 points.

Denzel Wilson poured in a team-high 18 points for Blue Ridge (20-7).

Covenant’s run comes to an end

In Lynchburg, Covenant coach Ben D’Alessandro saw his team’s hot streak come to an end in the VIC Division II finals, as the Eagles fought admirably but came up just short in a 65-62 loss to Carlisle

Covenant (14-9) came into the title game on a 10-game winning streak after losing its first six contests. Kodie Critzer led the Eagles with 21 points, while Brian Clarry added 17 and Sam Dale contributed with 16. Clarry and Dale hit a combined five triples on the night.

Carlisle jumped out to a convincing 21-8 lead after the first quarter, but D’Alessandro’s troops bounced back, getting within ten points by the half. Covenant kept chipping away and trailed by just five heading into the fourth, but Darius Echols and Dorian Valentine led the Chiefs down the stretch, each finishing with 20 points.

Covenant will await word on Monday as to whether or not it will qualify for the state tournament next week.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Miller wins Blue Ridge crown

LYNCHBURG – The Miller School’s girls got a huge game from Jaime Fleming in Saturday’s Blue Ridge Conference final game at Virginia Episcopal, and her efforts helped propel her team to a 49-45 win over Liberty Christian to win the championship.

Fleming hit six three-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points to boost the Mavericks, who out-scored the Bulldogs 15-9 in the fourth quarter after trailing by two. Ashley Bowles added 11 points for Miller (21-4).

Head coach James Braxton and the Mavericks will host a first-round state tournament game on Tuesday at 5 p.m.