Tough Day in Chapel Hill for Northwest Guilford and Northern Guilford…Our two Guilford County teams lose by a total of 4 points

Both of our local teams dropped real tough ones in Chapel Hill this afternoon….The NWG game ended on a follow-shot off of missed free throw by Millbrook…NG gave that unbeaten Morganton Freedom team all that they wanted and you just about want and to stop and shed a tear, after the ending of that Northwest Guilford game….

It is like having a knife cut right down the middle of your heart, but you have to tip your cap/hat to the Northwest Guilford Lady Vikings, they have had quite a run over the last three years in the girls NCHSAA 4-A division….

Northern Guilford should be back next season, Coach Kim Furlough has a young team and they will again set their sights on a 3-A Title in 2-17….

You hate to see it all end and Wyatt Smith will have more on the Northwest Guilford Vikings here later on tonight….

from NCHSAA.org:

Kai Crutchfield stick-back stuns Northwest Guilford, wins the 4A Girls Championship at the buzzer for Millbrook
(The stick-back by Crurtchfield broke the hearts of the Northwest Guilford Vikings and their fans…

By: Evan Moesta(www.nchsaa.org)

Andreal Bass missed a free throw for Millbrook with 3.5 seconds left in regulation, and the Wildcats trailing Northwest Guilford 45-44 but the errant shot fell into the hands of junior Kai Crutchfield, who put back an offensive rebound as time expired to lift her team to their third 4A Girls State Championship victory in the last five years.

Entering the game with a 30-0 record, the Vikings gave Millbrook all that they could handle in the first half, and fourth quarter. Toni Tucker, and Cayla King each downed first half three’s as Northwest shot 43% from the field, and 80% from the line. Heading into the locker rooms at halftime, Coach Melissa Joyner’s team had their biggest lead of the game at 24-18. Shots were hard to come by in the opening two frames for Millbrook as they only downed 26.3% of their first half attempts. Crutchfield led the Wildcats in scoring with six points at the break.

The third quarter would be a different story as Millbrook came out with a vengeance, and opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take their first lead since being up by three with 4:14 left in the first quarter. Crutchfield started the comeback with a corner three, then Dazia Powell pulled up for a left wing jumper and left wing three on back-to-back possessions to put the Wildcats up 26-24 with 5:27 left in the third.

A three ball from Savannah Neas, along with two free throw makes from Bria Gibbs would allow the Viking to get back within one possession at 33-30 with 57.7 left in the quarter but a Jaleesa Dillard put back layup for Millbrook sent the Wildcats into the final eight minutes of play with their largest lead of the night, 35-30.

Milbrook would maintain that lead for the first 1:46 of the final frame before Morgan Pointer would get one to go off of the glass, and Savannah Neas would rattle in a three to cut the Wildcat lead to 39-38. Pointer, who would be awarded Most Outstanding Player for Northwest Guilford found success in the paint once more with 3:23 left in the game to give the Vikings their first lead since 5:27 of the third.

Toni Tucker would increase the 40-39 lead to 41-39 with a free throw make but Millbrook’s Most Outstanding Player award winner, Dazia Powell would answer with two of her own at the charity stripe to tie things up at 41 apeice with 1:58 left in regulation. Each team would exchange timeouts over the course of the next 35 seconds. The Vikings would attempt to milk the clock for a late shot but a turnover sent the ball the other way for Kai Crutchfield who would miss a corner three attempt. Pointer grabbed her team high ninth rebound of the game and pitched ahead for Tucker for a go ahead three with only 1:06 left to put Northwest Guilford up 44-41. Crutchfield was fouled on the ensuing possession, and cashed in with two free throw makes to pull the Wildcats within one with 57.7 seconds left.

A Viking miss led to one final possession for coach Chris East’s team who would find Andreal Bass (5 points, 14 rebounds) in the paint. Bass was fouled with Millbrook trailing by one, and she hit the first of two shots. The second missed shot was put- back by Crutchfield for her team leading 17th point of the game and the team’s third championship in five seasons. Kai, a North Carolina State commit was named the Kay Yow Most Valuable Player. Millbrook has made four state championship appearances in the last six seasons, winning their last three in 2012, 2013…..

FREEDOM FINISHES PERFECT, BEAT NORTHERN GUILFORD 53-50

It wasn’t without a struggle, but the Freedom (32-0) Women’s team downed Northern Guilford (25-8) 53-50 to win the school’s fifth state championship in Women’s Basketball.

Ariyana Williams had 16 points and 3 rebounds to lead the Patriots on her way to winning the 3A Women’s Championship Game Most Valuable Player award. The Patriots took care of the basketball all night with only nine turnovers on the game. They forced 14 Nighthawk turnovers including nine steals.

The Patriots led by 13 after the opening quarter, 20-7, as five players for Freedom had points in the quarter. They stretched the lead to 14 in the early second quarter on a free throw by Amy Rhoney. That’s when Northern Guilford started to chip away.

Elissa Cunane went to work for the Nighthawks beginning in the second quarter. She had six straight points for the Nighthawks to draw them within 8 in the mid-second quarter. She finished the night with 20 points and 14 rebounds on the night and was named the Nighthawks’ Most Outstanding Player.

Northern Guilford briefly cut the Freedom lead to two with 51 seconds remaining in the game on a pair of Kelly Lomax free throws, but the Nighthawks, who never led in the game, could not get any closer. Ariyana Williams iced the Patriots win hitting 3 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the victory.

Lindsey Adams had 16 points for the Patriots, chipping in 2 rebounds and going 3 for 4 from beyond the three-point line. Adams was named Freedom’s Most Outstanding Player. The Patriots hit 4 of their 7 shots from the three-point line.