Altavista suffocates Dan River, takes home Dogwood District title

Follow DSordelettGDR on Twitter!

RINGGOLD — Carrie Cox slipped through the Dan River defense and into the lane with ease for a layup in the third quarter. The Altavista forward had no trouble finishing the easy basket while the Dan River players stood around the perimeter

Dan River coach Deauti Harris did not hesitate, calling a timeout to stop the bleeding and somewhat quiet the rowdy Altavista fans.

Altavista held Dan River scoreless for more than 6 minutes in the third quarter and easily defeated the Wildcats 49-27 to claim the Dogwood District tournament championship Saturday night.

The Colonels (17-4) jump to the No. 2 seed in the Region B, Division 1 tournament and will host Madison County on Wednesday. Dan River (11-6) is the third seed in the Region B, Division 2 tournament and will host Clarke County on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“We thought the third quarter was going to be a big difference maker and it turned out to be,” Altavista coach Debra Spencer said.

During the stretch in the third quarter, Altavista took a seven-point lead and turned it into a 35-17 cushion by harassing Dan River’s ball handlers and not allowing Dogwood District first-team member Dijonna Morris to score. Morris, who scored 10 points in the first half, was saddled with foul trouble in the second half and had to fight through constant double- and triple-teams.

“I had to call a timeout to let my girls know to play defense, you know, denying the ball,” Harris said after being named Dogwood District coach of the year. “I still had some of my girls in foul trouble, so they didn’t want to foul or want to play as hard as they should because of their fear of being in foul trouble.”

Altavista’s lead methodically grew despite the Colonels shooting 7 of 17 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Altavista did not record a made field goal until Kattie Cox scored on a putback with 28.7 seconds left in the contest. Dan River was whistled for 17 fouls in the second half and scored a meager 12 points in that span.

Jessica Myers led all scorers with 13 points. Carrie Cox had a solid all-around game, adding 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. T.T. Dews contributed nine points.

Dan River limited Dogwood District player of the year Chelsea Stephens to six points and six rebounds before she fouled out, but the balance of the Colonels allowed Stephens to have an off night and still have no problems with the Wildcats.

“We’re a very balanced team and we know how to handle it when Chelsea’s not in the game,” Carrie Cox said.

Morris was the lone Dan River player in double figures, finishing with those 10 first-half points and pulling down nine rebounds. Ashleigh Venable, named second-team all-district, added six points, nine rebounds and four steals.

“We probably just was running lackadaisically and we didn’t get up from the start,” Morris said.

The game got off to a rather slow start for both teams. Dan River took a 10-9 lead early in the second quarter following a pair of Venable free throws, but Altavista finally got rolling on offense, scoring the next 11 points to take a lead the Colonels would never relinquish.

“They didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves,” Harris said. “When we were losing (and) we were down, we, in a sense, not so much gave up, but we just beat ourselves just by being overwhelmed by the play.”

Altavista, which was denied at least a share of the regular season title after the Dogwood athletics directors decided to crown district champions on Feb. 3 based on the teams’ first six district games, got some measure of revenge after falling to Dan River in last season’s district title game in Altavista.

“Dan River’s a very good team. For the last two years, we’ve competed for these top spots in the district,” Spencer said. “Year after year, if you’re playing the same team, it’s a pretty physical game both ways, both teams being very athletic.”

Altavista 49, Dan River 27
ALTAVISTA (17-4)
Myers 4 5-7 13, Dews 4 1-4 9, Greene 3 1-3 7, C. Cox 4 1-2 10, Farmer 0 0-1 0, Davis 0 0-0 0, K. Cox 1 0-2 2, Donigan 0 2-4 2, C. Stephens 2 2-4 6, Lee 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-27 49.
DAN RIVER (11-6)
Adams 0 0-0 0, M. Stephens 1 1-2 3, D. Guy 0 0-0 0, Moore 0 0-0 0, K. Guy 0 0-0 0, Breesha Jones 1 0-0 2, Breanna Jones 1 0-0 2, Garrett 0 0-0 0, Morris 3 3-6 10, Williams 2 0-0 4, Fitzgerald 0 0-0 0, Venable 2 2-3 6. Totals 10 6-11 27.
Altavista 9 15 16 9 - 49
Dan River 7 8 6 6 - 27
3-point goals: Altavista 1 (C. Cox), Dan River 1 (Morris). Fouled out: C. Stephens, M. Stephens, Venable. Rebounds: Altavista 34 (C. Cox 10), Dan River 30 (Morris 9, Venable 9). Assists: Altavista 12 (C. Cox 4), Dan River 7 (M. Stephens 2). Turnovers: Altavista 18, Dan River 15. Technical fouls: Morris. Total fouls: Altavista 19, Dan River 25.

Region B notes:
Defending Group A, Division 2 state champion George Mason is the No. 1 seed for the Region B tournament after the Mustangs defeated Strasburg 45-37 Friday night in the Bull Run District tournament championship game. Strasburg is the No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 Chatham on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

All-Dogwood District teams
Girls
First-team
Chelsea Stephens, Altavista; Lateesha Christian, Appomattox; Erin Ricketts, Chatham; Dijonna Morris, Dan River; Ebony Calloway, Gretna.
Second-team
Carrie Cox, Altavista; Ashleigh Venable, Dan River; Deidra Glass, Dan River; Brittany Crawford, Nelson; Skylar Seals, William Campbell.
Honorable mention
Mallory Greene, Altavista; T.T. Dews, Altavista; Heather Mayberry, Appomattox; Tori McKenzie, Chatham; Millie Walker, Chatham; Mariah Stephens, Dan River; Jazmine Williams, Dan River; Ashleigh Griffin, Gretna; Samantha Younger, William Campbell; Trinae Jones, William Campbell.
Player of the Year: Chelsea Stephens, Altavista
Coach of the Year: Deauti Harris, Dan River

Boys
First-team
Jerrell Jordan, Altavista; Mike Poindexter, Altavista; Kenny Scott, Appomattox; Reggie Stone, Dan River; Chris Waller, William Campbell.
Second-team
Nick Ferguson, Altavista; Neal Thomas, Appomattox; Patrick Murphy, Chatham; Trey Edmunds, Dan River; Trey Barnett, Nelson.
Honorable mention
Johnny Wimbish, Altavista; Rico Rose, Appomattox; Devanti Perkins, Appomattox; MJ Pennix, Appomattox; R.J. Myers, Dan River; DeMichael Boone, Gretna; Tony Miller, Gretna; Trevor Martin, Nelson; Terrence Younger, William Campbell; Maxie Crews, William Campbell.
Player of the Year: Jerrell Jordan, Altavista
Coach of the Year: Brantley Shields, Appomattox