BRISTOL, Va. – Chilhowie High School sophomore Lauren Jones began the season in a unique situation. She was one of just four underclassmen on a roster dominated by seniors.
“At the beginning of the year, I was intimidated a lot by playing with these girls, who have been playing together their whole lives pretty much,” Jones said. “I knew that I needed to step up my game to the varsity level.”
It’s pretty safe to say that Jones has achieved that goal.
She scored all 10 of her points in the second half on Saturday afternoon as the Warriors rallied for a 48-43 victory over J.J. Kelly in the quarterfinals of the VHSL Group A, Division 2 state tournament at Virginia High’s Bearcat Den.
Chilhowie (20-8) will play in the state semifinals Thursday in Richmond, the Warriors’ second trip to the state semis in three years.
A spirited second-half effort made it possible.
Kelly (20-7) built a 10-point lead early in the third quarter, but Chilhowie battled back and took the lead at 33-31 on a 3-pointer by Jones with five minutes remaining.
“I’ve been working on my shot in practice a lot and it paid off in the game,” Jones said.
After Kelly knotted the score at 33 on two free throws by Kaely Mullins, Chilhowie reclaimed the lead for good on a jumper by Elizabeth Harris with 4:38 left in the contest.
Chilhowie extended its lead to as many as 10 points in the final minutes, a big shift from the 10-point deficit the Warriors faced earlier.
“I think we were pumped because we wanted it so bad,” said Chilhowie senior Krystal Patton. “We wanted to go back to Richmond.”
Patton pieced together a strong performance, something the 5-foot-7 standout has done quite often this postseason. She hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final 2:07 to ice the win and finished with 21 points.
“Patton’s Patton,” said Chilhowie coach Mark Halsey said. “Once in a while we call her General Patton. She leads our army right there. She wants the basketball when the pressure’s on.”
Heather Hash (12 points) and the shooting of Jones also contributed to the comeback.
“[Jones has] done that several key games for us,” Halsey said. “These girls want to step up and play big roles when it’s on the line and when it’s win or go home.”
The defensive intensity of the Warriors was also crucial. They limited Kelly post players Ashley and Allison Mullins to a combined 21 points, including just seven in the second half.
“That’s what we’ve been focusing on for like a week – trying to shut the [Mullins twins] down,” Patton said. “The first quarter we really didn’t do it, but the second [half] we got a better hang of it.”
Kelly cut Chilhowie’s lead to 44-41 on a 3-pointer by Emily Buchanan with 49.7 seconds remaining, but the Indians would get no closer. Twenty-four turnovers spelled doom for the Region D champions.
“That’s the story of the game,” said Kelly coach Robin Dotson.
Chilhowie had been on a season-long quest to reach the state semifinals. It came to fruition on Saturday.
“It feels great,” Patton said. “The whole team wanted it so bad. We’ve been working very hard over the season to get here.”
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