Sports
UPCOMING EVENTS
01
07 2022
Prep basketball: Hanover at Mechanicsville 6:00 p.m./7:30 p.m.
01
07 2022
Prep basketball: Atlee at Patrick Henry 6:00 p.m./7:30 p.m.
| Youth, High School, College, Recreational & Professional
Mechanicsville sweeps home tourney titles By Rod Short for The Local MECHANICSVILLE — It might have been a long time coming, but that made the taste of success that much sweeter as the Mechanicsville High School boys and girls basketball teams swept the championship finals at The Ville Holiday Classic. Following an 80-32 conquest of a winless, but improving Colonial Heights the evening before, the varsity girls team tipped off against the 5-2 New Kent Trojans. The Mustangs, coached by Alvin Puller with assistants Jennifer Elkins and Cornelius Williams, had finished 1-8 during the abbreviated 2020-21 season. “This is pretty much the same group we had last year, but they’re older and play together really well,” Puller said before the game. “They worked hard during the off-season, playing travel basketball, spending time in the weight room and working on agility. “New Kent is a pretty good team, but if we play our game, this should be a good game. . . . The inside play should dictate how well the game turns out.” That prediction proved true as both Ashley Owens and Madison Butler clogged the middle to make their presence felt. Both teams started out cold, but Mechanicsville broke a 2-2 tie close to midway through the first before warming up to finish the quarter to with a solid 11-2 lead. New Kent found its mojo early in the second, how-
the break. Following the half, New Kent played a determined game, but was not able to make up any ground on the Mustangs as the latter team took a 40-22 lead into the final quarter. Sensing victor y, Mechanicsville extended that margin to a 22-point 44-22 lead with 6:07 remaining in the game. That margin held until the final few minutes as the Trojans continued to play hard until the final buzzer sounded with the Mustangs on top 54-38. It was just the second Holiday Classic victory for Mechanicsville in six tries. Madison Butler led the team in scoring with 27-points scored while junior Bennett Carlton kicked-in in another 13. “Our team started a little slow, but it’s something that we’re working on,” Butler said. “We needed to slow it down and play our game. It’s coming together a little more each game and hopefully we’ll take that to the regionals and go on from there.” “We were a little surprised early in the second quarter, but we worked it out,” added team captain Lydia Elkins. “We had a few fast breaks and it got us going. We’ve got a few harder games coming up in the next few weeks.” Following a happy victory Joel Klein for The Local celebration, the Mustang boys Mechanicsville’ Christian Eldridge finds his path to the basket blocked by several Grace Christian defenders in the Mustangs’ 59took the floor to face King 51 victory on the first night of The Ville Holiday Classic basketball tournament on Dec. 28,2021. William. The Cavaliers came ever, as the Lady Trojans cut several minutes. The 6-foot-1 year, scored the next four points Lydia Elkins both chipped in into the tournament lookMechanicsville’s lead to just one Butler, who plans to play at to extend Mechanicsville’s lead, 3-pointers to help the Mustangs point, 11-10, during the first Davis & Elkins College next however. Kate Carleton and extend their lead to 30-16 at see SWEEPS, pg. 22
The Mechanicsville Local
January 5, 2022
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