news-record.com

GREENSBORO — The Bishop McGuinness girls will try for one for the thumb next week in Chapel Hill.

The four-time defending state champion Villains used a 15-0 run in the second quarter to break open a tight game and advanced to the 1-A state championship finals with a 68-48 win over the Mitchell Mountaineers Saturday afternoon in the West Regional finals at Fleming Gym.

Bishop McGuinness (22-7) will face unbeaten Williamston (29-0) in the 1-A championship Saturday at noon at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Williamston advanced with a 62-55 win over South Robeson on Saturday.

Early it looked like Bishop was going to win easily but the Mountaineers battled back from a 13-point deficit to forge a 19-19 tie, prompting Villains coach Brian Robinson to call time out. "It was more a pit stop to calm them down," he said.

Sammi Goldsmith then hit a 3-pointer to put the Villains back on top. Erin Liebal followed with a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers by regional MVP Megan Buckland forced Mitchell to call for time, as the Mountaineers were down 11 in a blink of an eye.

Two more layups by Goldsmith made it a 15-0 run before a late 3 by the Mountaineers' Lyndsay Jensen made it 34-22 at the half. The teams traded baskets in a high-scoring third quarter. Mitchell was able to cut the deficit to seven points but another productive timeout by Robinson ended the run.

One of the keys to the Villains' win was the defensive play of Buckland on Mountaineers' star Lakin Norris, who had 24 points in Friday's win over Mount Airy.

"I thought Megan did a great job on 32, Norris," Robinson said. "She's a very good player. Give her a little bit of space and she'll make you pay."

Buckland had a height advantage on Norris and Mitchell's main weapon could not use her quickness, either. Norris made just 3-of-14 shots and was held to 10 points.

Buckland had a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. Goldsmith, who had to leave the game twice because of a bloody knee, had 19 points and five assists. Jensen led the Mountaineers with 17 points while Autumn Thompson added 13 and nine rebounds.

It all adds up for a try for a fifth straight championship for Bishop, an event which looked unlikely after they lost to North Stokes and sat with a 7-4 record earlier in the season.

"We had a long talk after that game about how everyone was going their own way," Robinson said. "From that point on we played our best basketball of the season.

"I don't know how many times this team has surprised me. Every time I think they're down for the count they bounce back."

Bishop McGuinness 19 15 17 17 — 68
Mitchell 12 10 17 9 — 48

Bishop McGuinness (22-7) — Megan Buckland 28, Sammi Goldsmith 19, Erin Fizgerald 9, Erin Liebal 7, Marie Petrangeli 3, Kelly Elder 2.

Mitchell (24-5) — Lyndsay Jensen 17, Autumn Thompson 13, Lakin Norris 10, Danica Huskins 4, Emily Glenn 2, Natalie Jones 2.