Miller’s girls basketball team showed exactly why the Mavericks are the No. 1 seed in the VISAA Division II tournament Wednesday night as they beat No. 9-seeded Covenant 79-41 to advance to the state final four.
The Mavericks’ defense held Covenant to just three points in the first quarter to set the tone as Miller coasted to the win.
Miller lit it up from the outside with seven 3-pointers against the Eagles who were playing on short rest after upsetting Isle of Wight Tuesday night in the tournament’s opening round. Four of those buckets from beyond the arc came from Aby Morrill, and she connected on all four in the first half, helping spark Miller to a 41-15 lead at the break.
Micah Maloney then took the lead in the third quarter as she scored 11 of her team-high 20 points in that frame. Maloney went 7-for-10 at the free throw line.
Lexi Mallory and Lilly Riggleman also had strong nights, with Mallory scoring 14, all from the field including a pair of three pointers. Riggleman finished with 13, hitting three of her four free throw attempts.
Adrienne Darden scored a bucket in each quarter to notch eight points and Hannah Coles also chipped in eight to round out the scoring for the Mavericks.
That collective offensive effort allowed the Mavericks to overcome a Herculean night from Emily Maupin for Covenant. Maupin scored 27 of the Eagles’ 41 points, including 12 field goals, highlighted by a strong 10-point second quarter. Covenant also got 11 points from Sara Meakem on the night.
The loss ends Covenant’s year while Miller will now compete in the state semifinals Friday against Atlantic Shores at 7 p.m.
