SALTVILLE, Va. – Chilhowie High School senior Krystal Patton exited the locker room on Monday night clutching the Region C, Division 2 runner-up trophy.
It wasn’t exactly the prize she and her teammates wanted, but the Warriors had to settle for it after failing to find their shooting touch in dropping a 39-28 decision to Glenvar in the
girls regional title game at Northwood High School.
Chilhowie (19-8) still advances to Saturday’s VHSL Group A, Division 2 state quarterfinals at Virginia High’s Bearcat Den to face Region D champ J.J. Kelly.
The Warriors will certainly want to forget Monday’s sluggish performance in which they hit just 8-of-47 shots from the field, including a dreadful 3-of-23 performance in the second half.
“We had good looks,” Patton said. “But they just weren’t falling at all.”
Despite the woes, Chilhowie closed the first half on a 12-1 run to take a 15-13 halftime lead. The Warriors forced eight turnovers in the opening half.
“We were thinking we’re still in this, we just have to build on our lead,” Patton said.
Things were a bit different in the Glenvar locker room at intermission.
“We came out strong in the first quarter and then we kind of died off,” said Glenvar senior guard Chelsea Arthur. “Our coach just kind of reamed us out in the locker room at halftime. It made us keep going.”
Glenvar (19-7) took the lead for good at 22-20 with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter on a basket by Kayla Dehart. The Highlanders then pulled away as Chilhowie continued to misfire.
“We struggled from the field,” said Chilhowie coach Mark Halsey. “I thought our defense did exactly what we wanted do. ... We just couldn’t get anything going.”
Glenvar’s defense also did a good job containing Patton, who finished with 15 points, but hit just three shots from the field. Patton had averaged 22.7 points in the Warriors’ previous five postseason games.
“It’s hard to put those numbers out every night,” Halsey said. “You have to give credit to their defense. They’re a quick team.”
Arthur and Lyndsey Hunter split the assignment of shadowing and frustrating Patton throughout the night.
“We ran a 1-3 look with one person guarding her,” Arthur said. “They said to keep away her right hand and make her go left.”
Glenvar continued its improbable postseason run. The fifth-seeded Highlanders had to knock off higher seeds Patrick Henry, Floyd County and Chilhowie to claim the regional title.
Arthur finished with a game-high 17 points and was the offensive star in a game that lacked much offense.
“It feels amazing just to knock off Floyd and now Chilhowie,” Arthur said. “We haven’t been here in seven years and it feels good.”
Chilhowie is set for its second state quarterfinal in three years when it plays J.J. Kelly on Saturday in Bristol. The Warriors’ leading scorer was already focusing on that task.
“We have to be ready for Saturday,” Patton said.
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