Lady Cougars open quest for state title Friday

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From left: Ally Fleenor, Paige Huff, Jaden Lawson and Keslyn Secrist pose with the Region 4D championship trophy after beating E.C. Glass last Friday. (Brian Bishop/The Patriot)

By MIKE WILLIAMS

The Patriot

The Pulaski County Lady Cougars begin their quest for a state championship Friday at 6 p.m. when they host Sherando in the Cougar Den in a quarter-final matchup.

The Lady Cougars (23-3) got to the VHSL Class 4 State Tournament by sweeping through the Region D tournament last week.

After destroying Jefferson Forest, 101-39 the Lady Cougars traveled to Louisa and drubbed the Lady Lions, 63-49.

The game had every bit of the feel of a state tournament game, as Pulaski County broke open a close game with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to take control.

Pulaski County’s win avenged last season’s state championship game loss to Louisa.

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Hannah Keefer looks for an open teammate against E.C. Glass. (Brian Bishop/The Patriot)

Then last Friday the Lady Cougars capped off another Region D title by beating a tough Lady Hilltoppers squad from E.C. Glass, 54-43.

It was a physical, fast-paced game that saw the Lady Cougars get tested.

Glass led 15-7 after one quarter and the game was tied, 26-26 at the half.

Pulaski County finally led at the end of the third quarter, 36-34 before winning the fourth, 18-9 to take the win.

Keslyn Secrist again led the Lady Cougars on the night with 18 points, while Paige Huff added 14 more.

Other scoring for Pulaski County was Hannah Keefer, 7; Jaden Lawson, 6; Ally Fleenor, 5; Erin Russell and Tori Vest scored 2 each.

“This is like a jail break here. Let’s get the heck out of E.C. Glass High School,” exclaimed Lady Cougars Head Coach Scott Ratcliff following the close win.

“Every time we come down here, we get in a dog fight. The girls stayed focused and they played hard.”

Ratcliff credited the fans that made their way to Lynchburg for the game, saying it was like playing a home game for the Lady Cougars.

Huff said the win was due to teamwork.

“We knew we had to come out and work as a team. They (Glass) were scrappy, but we put it together and came out with a win.”

Now the focus turns to Sherando.

The Lady Warriors from Stephens City come into the game with the Lady Cougars sporting a 20-6 record, and are the No. 2 seed from Region C. They finished fourth in the Northwestern District this season.

Also Friday, Region 4’s No. 2 seed Glass travels to Region C top seed Millbrook in Winchester.

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Paige Huff defends against an E.C. Glass Hilltopper. (Brian Bishop/The Patriot)

The Lady Pioneers (23-2) finished second in the Northwestern District. Glass finished second in the Seminole District.

The two winners meet Monday night in a site to be determined, with the winner Monday going to the state championship game on March 10 in Richmond.

PCHS Athletic Director Scott Vest tells The Patriot that, “If Millbrook wins and we (PCHS) win, we play at Millbrook at 6 pm. If Glass wins and we win, we would host Glass Monday night.”

On the other side of the state tournament bracket, Region B top seed the Eastern View Lady Cyclones (20-2) out of Culpeper host the Region A second seed Manor Lady Mustangs (21-7) out of Portsmouth.

Manor finished second in the Eastern District, while Eastern View was 13-1 and finished first in the Battlefield District.

Finally, Region A’s top seed, the King’s Fork Lady Bulldogs (20-3) out of Suffolk host Region B No. 2 seed the Powhatan Lady Indians (17-9) in what might be a “Cinderella” run to the state tournament.

King’s Fork finished first in the Southeastern District, while Powhatan was fifth in the Dominion District.

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Lady Cougars Head Coach Scott Ratcliff holds the net after his team won the Region 4D championship. (Brian Bishop/The Patriot)

Game Details You Need To Know:

From Scott Vest, Pulaski County High School Athletic & Activities Director

Below are details regarding ticket purchase for Friday night’s VHSL State Quarterfinal girls basketball game at Pulaski County High School.

**ALL tickets will be sold online through the school specific link. https://gofan.co/app/events/529674 and use the school code: 8L6H4

**A GoFan tutorial is available at vhsl.org, go to Parents & Students, then GoFan Digital Tickets and view the 1 minute Youtube training videos

**A GoFan App is NOT necessary to purchase tickets

**TICKETS WILL NOT be sold at the door Friday night

**Tickets are $11.50 each ($10 ticket and $1.50 fee)

**Children 6 and under are free with a paying adult

**These links and codes will become INACTIVE on Thursday 3/3/22 at 3:00 pm.  After 3 pm on Thursday tickets can be purchased through the GoFan public site.  On the GoFan site search for VHSL and you will find the game. 

**PCHS All Sports Passes and PCHS Faculty & Staff Badges, unfortunately CANNOT be honored for this state game.

Link – https://gofan.co/app/events/529674

Code – 8L6H4