Women Come Up Just Short

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Patrick Henry Community College girls team fell just short of claiming a state title Sunday, losing to defending state champs Tidewater Community College 76-72. After beating the No. 1 seed in the Virginia Community College System State Tournament on Saturday, the fourth-seeded Patriots earned the right to play the Storm in Sunday’s championship game at Brunswick High School.

The Patriots were down 68-62 with less than 5:00 to go in the game. Tiffany Watkins connected with a pair of foul shots to lessen the gap, and a layup sparked by a Keshia Mitchell steal continued PHCC’s comeback.

Out-rebounded for most of the game, the Patriots controlled the boards for the last few minutes of the game, setting up two more Patriot buckets and deadlocking the score at 70. But the sure shooting of Tidewater in the last 2:00 minutes of play led to PHCC’s loss as the Patriots struggled to find the bottom of the basket.

Despite the loss, Head Coach Kenetta Redd said she was pleased with the game. “Both teams played real well today,” she said. “I was pleased with today’s game and the whole tournament all together.”

After a 4-5 regular season, PHCC went into the state tournament as the fourth seed. Despite the lackluster season, Redd said her team played well throughout the tournament. “They played wonderful,” she said. “Their intensity was great. They really played as a team, and everyone contributed. They did what they needed to do, and I’m proud of them.”

Tiffany Watkins led the Patriots with 19 points, Mitchell added 15, and Charice Marsh hit 12. Watkins, Mitchell and Marsh all were nominated to the First All-Conference Tournament Team.