PH drops Orange in 3rd-place game

Patrick Henry showed no signs of fatigue after a late night on Monday as it put on a stellar offensive display and let its defense do the rest in a win over Orange County in the third-place game of The Daily Progress NBC29 Holiday Classic on Tuesday afternoon.

The Patriots, who didn’t complete the two-hour trip back to Roanoke until 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning after playing in the late game Monday, got a boost from two sophomores — Sarah Williams and LaShe’ Walker — as they came away with the 60-48 win.

Williams, a guard, poured in a game-high 28 points — including four 3-pointers — while Walker made her presence felt in the post as she contributed 16 points to go along with her 10 rebounds.

“We’ve been trying to get [Sarah] going all season, and I think this might be her breakout game. This is what she’s capable of doing most nights,” said Patrick Henry coach Toree Dunleavy. “LaShe’, the past three games has really stepped up and averaged double digit rebounds and has really been a force in the middle.”

The Hornets simply had no answer for the duo. Williams, who also pulled down eight rebounds, had a coming-out party of sorts, scoring 17 points in the first half. She connected on three 3-pointers during that span, including two just before halftime to give the Patriots a 29-23 lead at the break.

“They came out ready to play, and they played hard. And we couldn’t really meet the challenge,” said Orange coach Lauren Luck. “It doesn’t help when [Williams] is an excellent three-point shooter, and when she’s on, you’ve got to make sure you’re guarding her. And [Walker] is a presence in the post and she’s a great player so we need to be aware of her. And we weren’t doing those things.”

Orange (7-4) pulled within two points in the third quarter before Walker took over. The forward scored 10 points in the second half to help propel Patrick Henry, and the Hornets were unable to get any closer.

Orange was plagued by turnovers throughout the contest, and the Patriots capitalized. Patrick Henry (8-2) also did a solid job on the boards, limiting Orange’s second-chance opportunities.

Sade Johnson provided a spark for the Hornets off the bench with 13 points, while Christina Harvey led the way with 15 points. But they didn’t have much help.

“It’s a very disappointing loss after playing so well the last couple of days,” Luck said. “They’re disappointed and as a staff we’re disappointed. The hope is that we use this as a springboard to improve and realize that there are things we need to fix.”

Orange resumes Jefferson District play on Tuesday against William Monroe.