JF girls surge past Pioneers in fourth quarter

Fueled by eight second-half points from Mandy Dix and a 22-point fourth quarter, the Jefferson Forest Cavaliers pulled away from a tough Heritage squad to post a 51-42 Seminole District victory Monday night.

The Cavaliers wrote a much different story in the first half, playing sluggish out of the gate and shooting just 5-for-14 from the free-throw line. The Pioneers, on the other hand, rode their scoring duo of Christina Phelps and Deshawna Jackson to an early 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

 

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For most of the first quarter, the Cavaliers were unable to maintain any sort of rhythm, settling early for jump shots on most possessions. Jefferson Forest clawed back into the game, though, after the Pioneers went cold from the field.

“In the second quarter, our shot selection wasn’t good,” said Pioneers coach Tracie Hayes.

Jefferson Forest tied the game at 15 just before halftime after a missed free-throw attempt by Rachel McKeague found its way to Becca Fath, who put home the offensive rebound.

Although the Cavaliers committed only 12 turnovers, most of those came in the first half against Heritage’s trapping defense.

“Heritage was doing a good job of trapping us as soon as we crossed half court. Second half I thought we did a much better job of finding the open person … and not settling for outside shots,” said Cavaliers coach Paul Redgate.

McKeague, the Cavaliers point guard, was unable to play in the second half after suffering an injury. Despite the loss of their floor leader, JF (8-7, 4-3) turned a potential disaster into a rallying point.

“I think that since we lost our point guard, I think that’s when everybody needed to step up and we did a great job of it,” said Mandy Dix.

Dix stepped up in a big way for the Cavaliers in the second half, scoring eight of her 12 points. The second half also signaled a turnaround for Renae Brooks. The 6-0 center was fouled early in the third quarter and hit both of her free throws to tie the game at 17. Brooks did most of her damage in the paint, scoring 12 points along with six blocks and nine rebounds.

“Our offense is best when we work from the inside and go out,” said Redgate. “I was very proud of her (Brooks).”

Despite the improved Cavaliers play in the third quarter, Heritage (6-9, 2-5) still held a three-point advantage heading into the final quarter. Jackson and Phelps led the way again for the Pioneers, scoring the first four Heritage points of the third quarter. Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Phelps scored 11.

The Cavaliers put the Pioneers away for good early in the fourth quarter after a 9-0 run gave them a six-point lead with six minutes to play. The win came on the heels of two straight losses and three games in four days. Redgate recognized that his team was tired and ready for a home game. He also realized, though, that adversity may be just what his team needs.

“We’ve had three (games) all on the road. What I told the team before the game is the difference between good teams and mediocre teams is how they handle adversity,”  he said.