WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Facing a 90-minute bus ride Tuesday afternoon, Honaker had to make sure all essential items were packed and ready for transport.
Uniforms? Check. Basketballs? Check. Towels? Check.
Half-court defense? Check.
All of the respective boxes were checked for the Tigers, who forced host George Wythe into 22 miscues with nary a press in posting a 55-31 wire-to-wire victory during Group 1 girls state quarterfinal tournament play.
“These girls are athletic and quick,” praised Honaker coach Misty Miller, who earned her 250th career coaching win in the process. “They just stayed disciplined tonight. They practiced hard and did what we worked on, and I was proud of them. I couldn’t have asked for a better effort.”
Rotating and switching over on defense was a knack for the Tigers, who made at least 85 percent of the Maroon front-court passes downright difficult. In fact, the hosts could only hoist up five shots over the first six minutes of Tuesday’s contest, as Honaker (24-4) turned turnovers into transitional baskets – forcing two separate Maroon timeouts during a 13-2 game-opening surge.
HONAKER (55)
Jessee 4 1-2 9, Musick 0 0-0 0, McNulty 4 4-8 12, Nolley 3 2-4 8, Miller 0 2-6 2, Ray 0 0-0 0, Keene 8 0-0 20, Farmer 2 0-0 4, Keen 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 9-20 55.
GEORGE WYTHE (31)
Carter-Bennett 3 0-0 6, Luttrell 3 0-0 7, Berry 2 2-2 6, Scott 0 0-0 0, Harris 1 1-4 4, Malavolti 2 2-2 6, Leonard 0 0-0 0, Mullins 0 0-0 0, Morris 1 0-2 2. TOTALS 12 5-10 31.
Honaker 17 12 13 13 – 55
George Wythe 5 3 17 6 – 31
3-point goals – Honaker 4 (Keene 4), GW 2 (Luttrell, Harris). Total fouls – Honaker 13, GW 15. Fouled out – Jessee. Technical – None.