We are now into the District playoffs and it's time to see who wants to step up and lead there team to the District Championships. There were two semi-final games in the River Ridge District on Saturday night at Patrick Henry High School (Roanoke), #1 Pulaski County (18-5, 13-0) undefeated in district games playing against #4 Blacksburg (13-10, 5-8). Then we had #2 Patrick Henry (17-5, 11-2) hosting #3 Cave Spring (15-6, 9-4) who has had many battles over the last few years.
[caption id="attachment_146092" align="alignleft" width="200"] Skyler Prosser avoiding the block. Photo Credit: Roanoke Times[/caption]
Blacksburg held there own in the first quarter to a very strong Pulaski team, trailing by only 5 at the end of the first quarter. They were led by <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2020 Class Skyler Prosser</strong></span>, a 5'9 Forward who can handle the ball and plays very well down low. Skyler uses her basketball IQ to get many buckets on backdoor cuts and running the lane in transition. She is a great leader, in which you can see how she sets the tone for her team, being all over the court on both sides of the ball. Skyler had a game-high of 14 points leading all scorers. However, Pulaski began to get aggressive on defense putting lots of pressure on Blacksburg causing turnovers and scoring in transition. Pulaski went on a 22-3 run, knocking down three-pointers, shooting 4 out of 6 in the second quarter alone.
[caption id="attachment_146103" align="alignright" width="217"] Keslyn Secrist pulls up for the floater. Photo Credit: PC Patriot[/caption]
<span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2020 Class Maddie Ratcliff</strong></span> and <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2023 Class Keslyn Secrist</strong></span> from Pulaski, led the charge and the team with 13 points each to end the game. Maddie Ratcliff, a 5'9 Guard, scored her 1,000th career point from behind the arc in the 3rd quarter, knocking down her second three-pointer of the game. She is a very skilled guard who can put tons of pressure on the defense with her will to run the floor and using her court vision to find open players or just finishing strong driving to the basket. Keslyn Secrist is an exciting freshman to watch in the coming years, her scoring ability stands among the many things that she brings to her team. She constantly plays hard on both sides of the ball, which made Pulaski so strong this year. Keslyn is a great three-point shooter who uses that threat to get to the basket and create the foul or just finish strong.
[caption id="attachment_146088" align="alignleft" width="170"] Savanna Derey goes over the top for the lay-up. Photo Credit: Roanoke Times[/caption]
Over at Patrick Henry High School, it was a battle, with the bigs from Patrick Henry stepping up to hold off a shooting clinic from Cave Spring. <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Savannah Derey</strong></span> and <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Monesha Wright</strong></span> dominated the inside, outrebounding Cave Spring 44-27, 16 coming on the offensive end. <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2021 Class Savannah Derey</strong></span> is a 6'1 Forward who can run the floor and plays big in the inside, offensively and defensively. She plays hard the entire game, in which she controls the pace of the game. Savannah can also step out and shoot the ball leading all scorers with 21 points in the game.
[caption id="attachment_146089" align="alignright" width="201"] Monesha Wright goes up strong for the finish. Photo Credit: Roanoke Times[/caption]
<span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2020 Class Monesha Wright</strong></span> is 6'0 Center who has begun to take over in the inside and on the boards, she gets most of her points off of offensive rebounds and going back up. She is a great post player who has learned many post moves to score when she wants to be aggressive. Monesha helped Patrick Henry to a win with 14 points.
[caption id="attachment_146090" align="alignleft" width="224"] Zada Porter drives pass defender. Photo Credit: Roanoke Times[/caption]
Cave Spring stayed in the game with there great shooting ability, they shot 50% from beyond the arc in the second half. <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>2021 Class Zada Porter</strong></span> is a 5'10 Guard from Cave Spring who led her team in scoring with 13 points. Zada is an exceptional ball handler who uses her crafty skills to create her shots at will. She is a knockdown shooter who can pull up from all over the court. Porter just recently beat her career-high of 36 points with 38 points in a game. Excited to see if she can beat that next season.
[caption id="attachment_146111" align="alignright" width="174"] Ava Hibbs pulls up for the three. Photo Credit: Roanoke Times[/caption]
Cave Spring's <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Class of 2023 Ava Hibbs</strong></span> and <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Abby Smith</strong></span> was locked in from the outside scoring 12 points each, all from behind the arc. Ava is a 5'7 guard who can shoot the ball very well, knowing how to move without the ball and getting to her spots. Abby is also a 5'7 guard who shoots well, giving opposing teams nightmares on the defensive end. These two freshmen are going to be something to keep your eyes on in years to come.
