Tuesday’s high school scoreboard and Wednesday’s schedule

Last spring, Liberty Christian Academy’s softball team lost nine regular-season games by one run, finishing 12-12 after its 10th one-run loss in the Virginia Independent Schools Division I state semifinal against perennial champion Bishop O’Connell.

Tuesday at home, in their season opener against defending Group A state champion Altavista, the Bulldogs batted around to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth, turning a 1-0 lead into a 6-0 blowout.

Fifth-year Coeburn football coach Greg Mullins was named to the same position at William Campbell at Monday’s Campbell County School Board meeting, replacing Dwayne Hamlette who resigned Dec. 19 after a 3-7 first season.

They may be educated at home, but the 60 teams from as far away as Iowa that will flood Liberty University this week for the 14th annual East Coast Homeschool Basketball Championships hope to do some schooling of their own — of their opponents.

It’s the fourth year LU has hosted the event over its spring break after tournament director Chris Davis started it and ran it for 10 years in Fredericksburg.

Monday’s high school scoreboard and Tuesday’s events

Jefferson Forest’s up-and-coming lacrosse club showcased its potential in Saturday’s Preseason Jubilee, an eight-team, two-day tournament hosted by E.C. Glass on its FieldTurf stadium.

RICHMOND — With Friday’s Group A, Division 1, state championship boys basketball game hanging in the balance, Altavista’s Tavonne Payne tip-toed along the top edge of the scorer’s table trying to save a loose ball from going out of bounds.

RINGGOLD — Dan River senior guard Reggie Stone’s eyes widened and his grin slowly grew larger as the question was asked during the press conference following the Wildcats’ thrilling 48-45 victory over Essex in the Group A, Division 2 state quarterfinals.

Altavista’s boys basketball team has reached three of the past four Group A, Division 1, Final Fours at VCU’s Siegel Center. Today at 3:45 p.m., it will make its first appearance in the championship game since beating Riverheads in 2004 for its only state title.

The Colonels challenge Madison County in a rematch of the Region B, Division 1 final at Spotswood, won by the Mountaineers 59-31.

RICHMOND — Long after the frustration had worn off after being defeated by Madison County in the Region B championship game, Altavista junior forward Jerrell Jordan, and arguably every one of his teammates, wanted a chance to play the Mountaineers again.

Two weeks and two solid defensive efforts later, the Colonels have their wish on high school’s biggest stage.

Altavista is in position to claim a second state championship after a dominating defensive performance in a 46-34 Group A, Division 1, boys basketball state semifinal victory over Appalachia on Thursday night at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, setting up a rematch with Madison County (25-0) at 3:45 p.m. today.

Altavista boys basketball coach Mike Cartolaro is a good friend and former coaching rival of Appalachia’s Patton Jervis.

When the Colonels (17-5) and Bulldogs (23-5) square off at 5 this afternoon in the Group A, Division 1, state semifinal at VCU’s Siegel Center, the players will be countering jumpshots and defensive stops on the floor while their coaches match wits from the sideline.

WILLIAMSBURG — Altavista junior center Jerrell Jordan guarded West Point forward Aaron Roane man-to-man in the post in Saturday’s Group A, Division 1, state quarterfinal, holding him to five points — at least 12 below his average.

That was the difference in the Colonels’ 56-44 victory at William & Mary’s Kaplan Arena.

“Jerrell on Roane was a great matchup,” Altavista coach Mike Cartolaro said. “He was really active and got out and challenged him on the perimeter and did a good job.”

Saturday’s high school scoreboard

WILLIAMSBURG — Surry County earned its first trip to the Group A, Division 1, Final Four in Richmond with a 60-48 victory over Altavista in Saturday’s state quarterfinal at William & Mary’s Kaplan Arena.

The Chargers (20-4) came out firing a flurry of jump shots, opening a 14-5 lead on Britney Johnson’s 15-foot swish from the right wing on transition and ReaChaun Edwards’ long two-pointer from the left wing off a cross-court, inbounds assist from Whitney Johnson.

“We just like to push the ball and expose a team’s weaknesses and capitalize off of that,” said Britney Johnson, who had 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Temple Christian School girls’ basketball team rallied from 31-13 halftime deficit to put a fourth-quarter scare into Mt. Caramel Academy on Friday in the VACA state semifinals at Timberlake Christian School.

ALTAVISTA — In the nine years Altavista has been a Group A school, its boys basketball teams have qualified for seven state tournaments.

ALTAVISTA — Chelsea Stephens, the Dogwood District girls basketball player of the year, does plenty of positive things for Altavista in the post, but shot blocking is not one of her strengths.

Trailing 45-26 at halftime to Ridgeview Christian in the semifinals of the Virginia Association of Christian Schools state tournament, Faith Christian looked like a team out of gas.

Bulldogs, Wednesday’s Virginia Independent Schools Division I girls basketball quarterfinal that pitted Liberty Christian Academy and visiting Norfolk Academy, turned into an all-out dogfight.

“I’ve coached basketball for 20 years and that might have been the ugliest game I’ve ever seen,” LCA coach Mike Morris said after his team’s 41-36 triumph. “Both teams were playing very aggressive defense, and the referees let it go a little bit (but) we came out on top.”

Wednesday’s high school scoreboard

Amherst senior Terrance Morse staged come-from-behind wins in the 300- and 500-meter runs to pace the Lancers to a surprise third-place team finish in Saturday’s Group AA indoor track and field championships at Liberty University’s Tolsma Indoor Track Center.

Morse overtook Bassett’s Quentin Parker on the final lap of the 500, crashing across the line in 1 minute, 6.57 seconds, bettering his personal record time of 1:08.33 set at last week’s Region III meet, also run at LU.

Before Liberty Christian Academy’s Blue Ridge Conference championship Saturday night, Bulldogs coach Michael Morris admitted his team was the underdog against top-seeded Miller School.

The reason: Miller’s three-headed monster of Whitney Martin, Ashley Bowles and 6-foot-7 senior center Ruta Lizdenyte.

LCA countered with a star of its own in senior Edina Musa, who finished with 19 points. But it wasn’t enough as Martin and Bowles combined to lead the Mavericks to a 52-48 victory over the Bulldogs at Virginia Episcopal School.

PENN LAIRD — Riverheads’ dream season added another chapter Saturday night in the Region B, Division 1, Championship.

The Gladiators defeated Altavista 58-31 at Spotswood High School to win their first Region B title since 1988.

Prep agat from Saturday’s competition

Miller School’s front line consists of two 6-foot-8 players from Cameroon in Hippolyte Tsafack and Brice Kofane. LCA coach John Patterson reasoned his team wouldn’t have much of a shot of winning Saturday night’s VIC, Divison I championship at VES if the Bulldogs tried to defend those two man-to-man.

So they dared senior guard Preston Terrell to beat them. And he did.

Terrell hit three big 3-pointers during a third-quarter Mavericks run, giving Miller the space it needed in a 53-46 victory.

Friday’s high school scoreboard

AMHERST — At the start of the season, Altavista girls basketball coach Debra Spencer didn’t entertain thoughts that her team might return to the Group AA, Division 1, state tournament.

Tonight, the Colonels, who lost all but three players from last year’s squad and feature four freshmen and three sophomores on an 11-girl roster, will follow Altavista’s boys in the Region B, Division 1, championship doubleheader at Spotswood High.

Both teams receive automatic berths to the Group A, Division 1 tournament in the same season for the second time since they won their first state titles in 2004.

“We’re going to the ’ship,” Colonels senior Carrie Cox shouted as she hugged Chelsea Stephens on the way out of Amherst High School’s gym, site of Friday night’s 67-31 semifinal victory over Central-Lunenburg.

Thursday’s high school scoreboard

HARRISONBURG — All you have to do is ask Altavista senior forward Mike Poindexter what his focus is on right now and he will tell you it’s on a chance to play for a state championship.

Poindexter scored a game-high 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, to lead the Colonels past Page County 84-79 in the Region B, Division 1, semifinal.

MONETA — On a cold and windy night at Staunton River High School, the Northside Vikings were “feeling hot, hot, hot.”

In front of a hostile crowd, the Vikings made the trip down from Roanoke and handily defeated Liberty, 81-58, in the Region III, Division 3, semifinal that was relocated from Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton.