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Game JM runs out of gas, time
Girls basketball: Group AA, Division 3, 4 semifinals
Date published: 3/8/2009
BY JUSTIN RICE FAIRFAX --James Monroe's girls basketball team came up a little short yesterday against Loudoun County's Freedom in the Group AA, Division 3 state quarterfinals.Short underneath the rim, short on depth, short on a few critical shots when time was running out. The Yellow Jackets came up short in just about everything but heart, and that left JM one win short of a trip to the state semifinals in Richmond. James Monroe closed as close as 45-42 late in the third quarter, but the Eagles fought off fourth-quarter foul trouble and earned a 64-57 win yesterday at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. "We fell short last year, and we should have been there," James Monroe coach Julian Bumbrey said. "And this year, that was the goal from the beginning. I remember watching [JM senior Bilnita Armstead] as an eighth-grader and going down to Richmond to watch [state tournament] games and her saying, 'I want to get here one day.' "It's disappointing in that aspect, but the girls played a good game tonight. We got down in some spots, but we came back and made a run." The Jackets had every reason to be intimidated. Freedom had a large and loud student section hounding every JM mistake. And JM arrived at Robinson just in time to see Loudoun County--a team that is 0-3 against Freedom this year--demolish Courtland, a team that has fought JM hard in Battlefield District play. Even so, JM didn't back down. It trailed 16-14 after the first quarter and 33-23 at the break, but the Jackets made 12 of 14 third-quarter free throws, the last of which cut the Eagles' lead to 45-42. But Freedom's size advantage inside and JM's lack of depth were costly in the final quarter. Freedom center Kelsey Buchanan had seven of her game-high 23 points in the fourth, and the Jackets started to run into foul trouble among their six players who saw playing time. Freedom started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach. Armstead finished her standout high school career with 21 points, but three missed layups in the final period cost JM a chance to climb back into the game.
Date published: 3/8/2009
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