PREP HOOPS: Carroll County girls down Abingdon in SWD

HILLSVILLE, Va. – It’s one of the most successful athletic programs in Southwest Virginia.

The players are introduced to the game in elementary school and spend years learning the finer points of pressure defense and disciplined offense.

It’s Carroll County girls basketball.

The Cavaliers added another chapter to their legacy in Tuesday’s semifinal round of the Southwest District tournament. Ten players scored en route to a 55-29 win over the Abingdon Falcons.

Carroll County (18-4) has won the SWD regular-season title 12 of the past 13 years, including this season when the Cavaliers posted an 8-0 mark. CC has also won the SWD tourney title 11 of the past 13 years.

According to 10th-year coach Marc Motley, the keys to the Cavs are commitment and attention to detail.

“It starts when our kids are in about the third grade,” Motley said. “We have a great AAU program in this area. We get a lot of numbers and the kids stay with it.”

While the names have changed in Hillsville, the constant is defense.

Abingdon (3-21) failed to score more than 36 points in a pair of regular season losses to the Cavaliers. While the Falcons actually took a 9-4 lead Tuesday with 2:50 left in the opening quarter, the Cavaliers soon took control with trapping defense and a balanced offense led by four senior starters.

“This is the deepest team I’ve ever had,’” Motley said. “I can play 12 kids on a nightly basis and I’m very comfortable with them all. We take pride in holding teams under 40 points.”

Lindsay Martin, a 5-foot-7 senior shooting guard, is the headliner. She scored 17 points Tuesday and reached the 1,000-career point mark in the second half.

“I started playing basketball in third grade, and I began playing on a travel team that my dad started the next year. I’ve played ever since then, all year round all over the state,” Martin said.

Martin, who has made a verbal commitment to play basketball at Catawba, was not aware of her career point total until she was awarded the game ball.

“The district tournament is important and I just wanted to play my game,” said Martin, who canned three 3-pointers. “I like shooting 3s. And when teams guard me, I like driving to the hole.”

The finals will be held Thursday in Hillsville. Abingdon will play in a consolation game at 4 p.m. According to AHS coach Jimmy Brown, the Falcons could possibly earn a Region IV playoff berth with a win based on points.

Freshman Taylor Blevins led the Falcons with eight points. Senior post Katelyn Stewart picked up two early fouls and finished with just two points while fearless playmaker Madison Turner added six points.

“We came out the gate pretty strong, but Carroll County just has an excellent club and they wore us down with defense,” Brown said. “Carroll has no weak links, and they could go far in the regional tournament next week.”

Before the game, Brown urged his younger players to learn from the example of the Cavaliers.

“I told them to look at those banners on the wall and think about the games we’ve played up here,” Brown said. “If we want to have this kind of program, we have to work hard and get better. Rome wasn’t built in a day. For now, we just want a chance to get in the playoffs Thursday.”

Even Motley marvels at the dedication of his athletes, who excel in subtle areas such as entry passing, help-side defense, screens and blocking out.

“I don’t have to battle to get these kids to work over the summer,” Motley said. “If that gym door is open, they are playing. We’ve had different levels of talent over the years, but we’ve been able to stay consistent because the girls work so hard. And when you’ve been winning, kids feed off that.”

For Martin, one elusive goal remains.

“We’ve always been second or come up short at regionals. We want a regional banner on that wall,” Martin said.

agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544.