By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Miller’s girls basketball team continued to roll in the Daily Progress/NBC29 Holiday Classic with a 73-36 win Friday night over semifinal host Albemarle.
Miller opened with a 12-2 spurt, and the Maverick offense was clicking early from three-point range. Senior forward Whitney Martin knocked down a pair in the first quarter, and senior guard Taylor Sandidge hit another. Junior guard Kristin Histand came off the bench to tally the last four points of the period, including a three in the closing seconds, as Miller led 20-8.
Albemarle failed to mount a charge in the second quarter, as Miller frequently extended its zone trap to force backcourt turnovers and errant long passes.
“We talked about the long pass at halftime because we just needed some more backspin on it,” said Albemarle coach Rachel Proudfoot. “We had the kid long, but we were just off target.”
The Mavericks’ offense fed the ball inside, with junior forward Sydney Calloway scoring six points off the bench, while Martin added seven more. Miller closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a commanding 22-point halftime lead.
“Our hope was to clog up the middle a little bit, slow them down, which I thought we did, but they shot [really well],” said Proudfoot.
Miller showed no sign of relaxing by opening the second half with another 13-2 scoring run. Sophomore guard Lilly Riggleman tallied eight third-quarter points, en route to 12 for the game off the bench.
“When coach put me at point guard for Taylor [Sandidge], I felt like I should start shooting, because in the first half I did not do that,” said Riggleman. “My shot was just on, and I was trying to draw fouls driving it from the outside.”
Riggleman also had three second-half steals as the Mavericks continued to frustrate the Patriot guards.
“We’re all really strong defenders, and it’s just about reading where they’re going to pass,” said Riggleman. “I think our team’s great at that.”
Martin led all scorers with 15 points. Junior center Anyah Bryan finished with seven points and nine rebounds, and Sandidge added six points and four steals.
“We’ve probably had a different [leading] scorer in six or seven of our games,” said Miller coach James Braxton. “We’re in a situation now where we’ve got some players coming off the bench that can fill it up just as well as Martin and Sandidge and Odumu, which is a good thing. Histand can step out and shoot it, and we’ve got Riggleman who can put it on the floor, shoot it and finish.”
Kendra Hairston led the Patriots with eight points, while KK Barbour posted six points and six rebounds. Albemarle (4-5) will face Western in the tournament’s Third Place Game. Miller (8-3) takes on Spotswood in a rematch of the 2011 Championship Game.
