Millbrook Girls Rout Colonels

Posted: February 3, 2016
By JERRY HOLSWORTH
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — After several fast starts and slow finishes by Millbrook’s girls’ basketball team, the Pioneers finally put together four quarters of good basketball against James Wood on Tuesday night.

The result was devastating as Millbrook absolutely crushed the Colonels 85-53 at James Wood’s Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

“We did finish it out tonight,” Pioneer coach Kevin Barr said. “We talked a lot about it after last night’s game. We wanted to come out and have a hot streak like we’ve done in the past, but this time keep it going, and play four solid quarters.”

The Pioneers (15-4, 7-0 Northwestern) didn’t just light up the scoreboard for four quarters, they also played solid defense.

Wood began the game with an 0-for-11 performance from the floor, and turned the ball over seven times in first eight minutes. To make matters worse, Haile McDonald and Amari Anthony crashed the boards with a vengeance and rarely gave Wood a second shot.

“Millbrook just shot the lights out and we didn’t,” Wood coach Krista Crites said. “They’re an amazing offensive team. When they shoot like they did tonight, no one is going to beat them.”

Guard Keiana Brooks, who led the Colonels with 19 points, was limited to just two points in the first half by the Pioneer defense.

“I also thought that we did a good job on the defensive end,” Barr said. “I’m really ecstatic about how we played tonight. When we come to James Wood it’s always a battle to the finish. But tonight we really played well on both offense and defense. I was really proud of our girls tonight.”

On the offensive end, it was business as usual for the Pioneers.

After beginning the last two games with four first-quarter 3-pointers, Lauren Reed knocked down three in the opening quarter against the Colonels (10-7, 2-4). The Pioneers’ senior also made a pair of 2-point field goals and went 2 of 3 from the free throw line to score 15 first-quarter points.

Erika Reed got things started early, scoring five first-period points. When the Reed sisters weren’t hitting from the outside, McDonald contributed six points in the paint over the same time period.

The result was a commanding 28-6 Millbrook lead heading into the second quarter.

The difference Tuesday night, though, was that there was no let up.

Erika Reed added another 10 points in the second quarter, and finished the half with 15. Lauren Reed added 19 first-half points.

Point guard Maddie Green, who usually sets up her teammates for points, scored five points, including a 3-pointer, in the second period.

“It’s hard to single out any player on this team.” Barr said. “You’ve got Maddie who’s so unselfish and tries to get the ball to everybody. Then you’ve got Erika and Lauren knocking down 3-pointers. You also have Amari and Haile pulling down rebounds. It’s a real luxury to have five kids that go out and play so well together.”

Wood’s shooting was as off as Millbrook’s was on.

The Colonels finished the first half 6 of 26 from the field, allowing the Pioneers to build an overwhelming 47-16 lead at the half.

Brooks finally got on track in the second half, and helped Wood minimize the damage. The Colonel senior hit eight third-quarter points, and added another nine in the final period.

Grace Greene, after scoring just two points in the first half, made her presence felt in the lane, scoring 11 of her 13 points in the second half.

It hardly mattered, though, as the Reeds, and McDonald continued to score at will against Wood’s defense. The Pioneers outscored the Colonels 21-16 in the third quarter to take a 68-32 lead into the final eight minutes of play.

Wood was able to finally outscore Millbrook in the final period, but that was when the game was out of reach.

Lauren Reed led the Pioneers with 28 points (going 11 for 19 from the field), and Erika Reed wasn’t far behind with 27 points and came close to a triple-double with nine rebounds and eight assists. McDonald dominated the paint, finishing with a double-double of 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

Green also nearly had a triple-double as she scored nine points and had a team-high 11 assists and eight rebounds.

“We a have to take things one game at a time,” Crites said. “Basketball is a short-time memory sport. This game doesn’t mean anything now. It’s over, and we have to look towards our next opponent, and get ready for our next game.”