When Fluvanna County coach Chad White scouted Millbrook, Courtni Green only hit a single 3-pointer.
Apparently the sophomore kept a little in her tank for the Flucos.
Green, the reigning Northern Virginia Daily player of the year and younger sister of Virginia Tech freshman point guard Erick Green, poured in 29 points, including four 3-pointers as Millbrook put away Fluvanna 65-52 to take the Region II title.
“I scouted them, and she didn’t hit but one 3-pointer in that game but she’s their go-to player and this was a huge game,” White said. “They needed that from her because of us making he run and taking the lead. When (Green) got on that did it for them.”
Fluvanna (21-2) sagged back a little defensively against Green and she made them pay with the four long balls, but she got a lot of help from a fellow sophomore, Sara Mead, who finished with 18 points, with a majority of them coming in transition. The Pioneers (19-0) piled up steals in the first half, and turned them into fastbreak buckets. That allowed them to build an 11-2 lead out of the gate.
“We lost six seniors and coming in to this if you’d have told me we’d be gelling that quick (I might not have believed it),” Millbrook coach Debby Sanders. “But this group is always cool, calm and collected.”
But Fluvanna bounced back behind a Herculean effort from the Loyd sisters. Mia finished with 21 points while K-anna dropped 23 to lead the Flucos. They were both nearly perfect from the free-throw line, with K-anna going 7-for-8 while Mia managed a 10-for-10 performance at the charity stripe. At the half, Fluvanna trailed by just five.
Millbrook came out of the gate again well in the third on a 7-2 run to extend their lead out to 10, then quickly built on that and pushed it to 15.
In the fourth, Fluvanna managed to slice into the lead and cut it to just 11, but it wasn’t enough late. Millbrook’s quickness seemed to be a big difference maker for the Pioneers, and Mead, in particular, took advantage of her own speed by duping Fluvanna players into speeding by her before making a quick steal from behind. That quickness on the trap was a big factor for Millbrook against William Monroe in the regional semifinals.
The Loyds’ physical play pushed the Flucos back into it, with Mia, in particular, bringing a physical edge to the contest. Fluvanna’s freshman point guard Ashleigh Harris also played a pretty good game against Millbrook’s intense, pressure-oriented defense, calmly dribbling out of traps on several occasions. Those factors gave White a lot of confidence despite the 13-point margin of victory.
“If they are number one (in the state), we’re number 1B,” White said.
Too much Green, however, sunk the Flucos.
Fluvanna will take on Greensville at the Siegel Center Friday or Saturday in the state quarterfinals.
Edited at 2:10 p.m.
