Despite the disappointment he felt after Surry County lost to Parry McCluer 58-45 in the Class 1 girls basketball state championship game at VCU’s Siegel Center on Saturday, Cougars coach Chris Brown was beyond courteous in answering postgame questions.
Brown heaped praise on the victorious Fighting Blues from Buena Vista, while continually expressing pride in his team’s effort in the game and its season overall. He even managed some humor.
Asked if he was happy to see that so many (nine of 11) of the players on the Parry McCluer roster were seniors, he smiled and said, “Absolutely. That’s the best question of the day.”
No question, the Blues’ senior class, which won its third consecutive state title, has had the Cougars’ number. The Blues (26-4) beat the Cougars (26-5) in the state semifinals two years ago and have now beaten them in consecutive championship games.
This was their most decisive win of the three. The first quarter was a feeling-out process, and Surry led 9-8 on Maya Drew’s 3-pointer with 1 minute, 41 seconds remaining in it.
But Madison Dunlap, who notched a game-high 25 points, scored on the break and then buried a 3-pointer to give the Blues a 13-9 lead after a quarter. She was even better in the second quarter, scoring nine points — giving her 16 for the first half — as the Blues moved out to a 30-19 halftime lead.
The Blues were good defensively, too. Playing tight man-to-man defense, they cut off lanes to the basket for the Cougars, who made just 7 of 20 shots in the first half and turned the ball over 11 times.
“They change the way they approached it from going full-court to half-court (presses) to man,” Brown said. “They’ll keep you off balance.”
As they did in last year’s 51-42 loss to Parry McCluer in the final, the Cougars followed a slow start with a second-half run. The standout in the surge was Bre’cha Byrd, who scored 12 of her 17 points after intermission and helped the Cougars pull to within 38-32 with an outburst late in the third quarter.
“Bre’Cha is our pit bull,” Brown said. “When we need something, she’s going to give it her all.”
The Blues weathered the run, stuck to their game plan and patiently worked the clock while drawing fouls. They made 14 of 18 free throws in the final quarter and continued to force Surry turnovers (20 overall) as they pulled away.
“I’m proud we made it here,” Cougars senior Jasmyn Pierce said. “We didn’t get what we wanted, but we had a great season.”
And the Cougars should get at least one more bite at the championship apple despite the loss of seniors Pierce and Alexis Nelson. The Cougars’ talented nucleus of non-seniors includes Byrd, Drew, NeOndra Kelly and JerRhonda King.
“‘Never give up,’ that’s my whole motto,” Byrd said. “Like I said last year, we’re going to work even harder to get back here.
“I believe in my teammates and that we can accomplish anything together.”
PARRY McCLUER 58, SURRY COUNTY 45
PARRY McCLUER (26-4): Mohler 10, Huffman 2, Smith 1, Dunlap 25, Coleman 3, Camden 17. Totals 17 22-30 58.
SURRY COUNTY (26-5): Byrd 17, Pierce 7, Kelly 6, King 4, Nelson 8, Drew 3. Totals 17 8-19 45.
Parry McCluer: 13, 17, 8, 20 – 58
Surry County: 10, 9, 13, 13 – 45
3-point goals: Parry McCluer 2 (Smith 2), Surry County 3 (Pierce, Kelly, Drew).
