CLASS AA GIRLS
Lady Chargers shoot lights out, advance to state title game
WALKERTOWN — All season, an ability to knock down 3-point shots has been a staple for a juggernaut Wilson Christian girls basketball team.
So it’s fitting that the Lady Chargers had an excellent night from downtown as they moved to one win away from their ultimate goal from the season, knocking down 16 treys in a 63-33 win over Triad Baptist at Gospel Light Christian in the NCCSA 2-A semifinals on Friday night.
“I think it was confidence in doing what we do and doing it well,” said Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull. “When you step on the court confident, there’s good results. We weren’t overconfident, we just understood what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. Then we went about our business.”
With the victory, the Lady Chargers (29-3), the top overall seed out of the East Region, advanced to their fifth straight state championship game, and will take on Living Water Christian on Saturday to seek their fourth straight title. A victory would be the Lady Chargers’ eighth state championship in program history, and this is their 11th title game appearance.
“We talked about it at the beginning of the season,” Trull said. “We knew what our goal was. I told them in the locker room after the game tonight, ‘One more game. This is what we have worked for all season, to get to this game tomorrow.’ They’re confident but they’re not overconfident. I think they’re ready for it, I think they’re prepared. They’ll be prepared mentally tomorrow, and I’m just excited about it. I can’t wait for it.”
Wilson Christian stormed out of the gate in this one, zipping out to a 19-2 lead after the first quarter and 45-10 lead at halftime over the Titans, the West’s No. 2 seed.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well (Thursday night),” Trull said. “We played great defensively, but we didn’t shoot the ball very well. We had just told them to trust what we do and trust how we do it. The law of averages is that we’re going to hit more shots tonight. And we did. It was 19-0 before they called a timeout.”
The Lady Chargers shot the lights out from 3-point range in this one, bombing in 16 of 32 attempts from downtown.
Point guard Chloe Villaverde led the Lady Chargers with six 3-pointers for 18 points, followed by Kate Hoskins with five 3-pointers for 15 points and Gracie Farmer with four triples for 12 points.
“It’s ball movement,” Trull said. “We do a great job of moving the ball side to side. We don’t take the good shot, we take the better or the best shot. We’re just incredibly unselfish. So when you’re unselfish and you’re patient on the offensive end, it’ll get you good looks, and then it’s just a matter of making them.”
It was also a strong night on the boards for the Lady Chargers, with WCA grabbing 33 rebounds on the night, led by Jocelyn Bailey with 11 and Holland Miller with eight.
Saturday at 5:30 p.m., the Lady Chargers will take on Living Water Christian, the East’s No. 2 seed, in pursuit of that four-peat state championship.
“It was a well-played game all the way through, by all six of the girls that rotated in the normal flow of the game on the offensive and defensive end,” Trull said.
The Lady Chargers beat the Warriors 54-29 at the end of January, but Trull expects a tougher test this time around.
“We play a very athletic Living Water team,” Trull said. “They’re a team that’s just full of athletes. I don’t think that score of how well they played and how hard we had to work to beat them. So the key is going to be to stop them from getting out in transition and scoring easy baskets. We’re going to have to force them to score in the half-court offense, be patient, handle the pressure that they put on us and get the best shot. I think if you combine those two things offensively and defensively, it’ll put us in a very good place.”
Win or lose, Saturday’s game will mark the end of the road in a Wilson Christian basketball uniform for a number of key contributors across this dynastic run, such as seniors Hoskins, Bailey, Miller, Sophia Nesbit and Patsy Price.
“We talked about that before we ever got here on Thursday for the quarterfinal game,” Trull said. “We said, ‘Here’s the thing, you need to enjoy this. This is memories that are going to last for a lifetime. You need to get out and enjoy the opportunity to play together and to do this.’ It’s about to move into another stage. It’ll be different opportunities and different things, but you’ve got to be ready.”
Lady Chargers shoot lights out, advance to state title game
WALKERTOWN — All season, an ability to knock down 3-point shots has been a staple for a juggernaut Wilson Christian girls basketball team.
So it’s fitting that the Lady Chargers had an excellent night from downtown as they moved to one win away from their ultimate goal from the season, knocking down 16 treys in a 63-33 win over Triad Baptist at Gospel Light Christian in the NCCSA 2-A semifinals on Friday night.
“I think it was confidence in doing what we do and doing it well,” said Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull. “When you step on the court confident, there’s good results. We weren’t overconfident, we just understood what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. Then we went about our business.”
With the victory, the Lady Chargers (29-3), the top overall seed out of the East Region, advanced to their fifth straight state championship game, and will take on Living Water Christian on Saturday to seek their fourth straight title. A victory would be the Lady Chargers’ eighth state championship in program history, and this is their 11th title game appearance.
“We talked about it at the beginning of the season,” Trull said. “We knew what our goal was. I told them in the locker room after the game tonight, ‘One more game. This is what we have worked for all season, to get to this game tomorrow.’ They’re confident but they’re not overconfident. I think they’re ready for it, I think they’re prepared. They’ll be prepared mentally tomorrow, and I’m just excited about it. I can’t wait for it.”
Wilson Christian stormed out of the gate in this one, zipping out to a 19-2 lead after the first quarter and 45-10 lead at halftime over the Titans, the West’s No. 2 seed.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well (Thursday night),” Trull said. “We played great defensively, but we didn’t shoot the ball very well. We had just told them to trust what we do and trust how we do it. The law of averages is that we’re going to hit more shots tonight. And we did. It was 19-0 before they called a timeout.”
The Lady Chargers shot the lights out from 3-point range in this one, bombing in 16 of 32 attempts from downtown.
Point guard Chloe Villaverde led the Lady Chargers with six 3-pointers for 18 points, followed by Kate Hoskins with five 3-pointers for 15 points and Gracie Farmer with four triples for 12 points.
“It’s ball movement,” Trull said. “We do a great job of moving the ball side to side. We don’t take the good shot, we take the better or the best shot. We’re just incredibly unselfish. So when you’re unselfish and you’re patient on the offensive end, it’ll get you good looks, and then it’s just a matter of making them.”
It was also a strong night on the boards for the Lady Chargers, with WCA grabbing 33 rebounds on the night, led by Jocelyn Bailey with 11 and Holland Miller with eight.
Saturday at 5:30 p.m., the Lady Chargers will take on Living Water Christian, the East’s No. 2 seed, in pursuit of that four-peat state championship.
“It was a well-played game all the way through, by all six of the girls that rotated in the normal flow of the game on the offensive and defensive end,” Trull said.
The Lady Chargers beat the Warriors 54-29 at the end of January, but Trull expects a tougher test this time around.
“We play a very athletic Living Water team,” Trull said. “They’re a team that’s just full of athletes. I don’t think that score of how well they played and how hard we had to work to beat them. So the key is going to be to stop them from getting out in transition and scoring easy baskets. We’re going to have to force them to score in the half-court offense, be patient, handle the pressure that they put on us and get the best shot. I think if you combine those two things offensively and defensively, it’ll put us in a very good place.”
Win or lose, Saturday’s game will mark the end of the road in a Wilson Christian basketball uniform for a number of key contributors across this dynastic run, such as seniors Hoskins, Bailey, Miller, Sophia Nesbit and Patsy Price.
“We talked about that before we ever got here on Thursday for the quarterfinal game,” Trull said. “We said, ‘Here’s the thing, you need to enjoy this. This is memories that are going to last for a lifetime. You need to get out and enjoy the opportunity to play together and to do this.’ It’s about to move into another stage. It’ll be different opportunities and different things, but you’ve got to be ready.”