Friday, January 09, 2009
Blacksburg's dynamic duo - McMahan and Jones - shines in Hidden Valley game
Lacey McMahan and Mallory Jones carry Blacksburg on the road. | Blacksburg 55, Hidden Valley 47
JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times
Blacksburg's Lacey McMahan attempts a shot during the fourth quarter on Thursday against Hidden Valley.
The first three quarters of the Hidden Valley-Blacksburg girls basketball game at Hidden Valley High School on Thursday night was exactly what one would expect from a River Ridge District game.
Momentum swings, scoring runs and an extremely tight finish.
But the fourth quarter was the Lacey McMahan and Mallory Jones Show.
The Blacksburg duo combined to score 22 of the team's 23 fourth-quarter points as the Bruins pulled away for a 55-47 victory.
"We got a couple kids, gosh, they talk about heart. They just said 'We're not gonna lose this game,'" said Bruins coach Mickey McGuigan.
"Lacey McMahan and Mallory [Jones]."
It certainly took heart for Blacksburg (9-3, 2-0 River Ridge) to come back after losing an early lead.
The Bruins led 18-10 and had held the Titans (4-8, 0-1) scoreless through the first seven minutes of the second quarter, but Hidden Valley finished with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 18-15 at the half.
After the break, the Titans exploded with 21 points in the third to take the lead. But foul trouble -- the Titans finished with 26 -- and a heavy dose of McMahan and Jones snatched the game right back.
Jones manned the paint, while McMahan made the Titans pay for every foul, going 8-of-10 from the line in the fourth quarter.
McMahan finished with 21 points and Jones totaled 15.
"We knew we had to step up six points down," said McMahan.
"We knew [we] just had to drive it in and score."
That strategy was successful in the fourth, namely during a 12-1 run that gave the Bruins a 44-41 lead after being down by eight with 6:27 left for the final lead change of the game.
"I think we just said, 'Time to step up.' We didn't want to lose this game," said Jones.
"Last year, they beat us pretty bad and it was payback time.
"It was time to get one for us."
Kayla Osborne and Lindsey Divers led the Titans with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
"I'm proud of their intensity and I've said it before: 'We're getting better every week ,' said Hidden Valley interim head coach Randy Bush.
"Come playoff time, hopefully, [we're] were we need to be."
BLACKSBURG (9-3, 2-0)
McMahan 5 10-14 21, Priest 1 4-7 6, Jones 6 3-4 15, Houston 1 0-3 2, Kipps 4 3-3 11. Totals 17 20-31 55.
HIDDEN VALLEY (4-8, 0-1)
Osborne 4 4-5 15, Singleton 1 0-0 2, Crotty 1 1-2 4, Hamrick 1 3-3 5, Divers 4 3-4 11, McDonald 3 0-0 6, Conner 2 0-1 4. Totals 16 11-15 47.
Blacksburg 11 7 14 23 -- 55
Hidden Valley 10 5 21 11 -- 47
3-point goals -- Blacksburg 1 (McMahan), Hidden Valley 4 (Osborne 3, Crotty). Total fouls -- Blacksburg 14, Hidden Valley 26. Fouled out -- Blacksburg, Kipps. Hidden Valley, Conner.
JV -- Hidden Valley won 39-20.
