The Mathews High School girls’ varsity basketball team’s season came to an abrupt end Tuesday night, as the Lady Devils fell to West Point in the first round of the regional tournament, 47-30.
In the final regular season game last Thursday, the MHS varsity girls dropped a crucial contest to the visiting Middlesex Chargers, 49-45, in a match that decided the seeding for post-season play. Meanwhile, the JV girls ended their season on Friday night during a tripleheader that also included the MHS boys’ JV and varsity teams. The JV Lady Devils fell to the King and Queen Tigers, 31-13.
West Point
The season came to an end on Tuesday night at West Point. The Pointers jumped out to an early lead, taking a 13-7 edge at the end of the first quarter and widening the margin to 27-11 at the half. The girls played a hard last quarter, but fell short to Pointers, 47-30. The top scorer of the night was Elizabeth Moore with 11 points.
“It’s unfortunate that our season had to end tonight, but I am so proud of my team and how hard we fought this season,” Moore said. “I love my team and am thankful for all the joy, love and support they brought me this season.”
Middlesex
Last Thursday’s home game against Middlesex didn’t end the way the Devils wanted as they dropped in regional standings from third place to fifth place, setting up Tuesday’s road game at West Point.
The varsity Devils came out strong in the first quarter, but the Chargers struck back. Both teams put up a fight and challenged each other on both ends of the court. The Chargers were leading, 13-10, going into the second quarter. The Devils conquered the second quarter with powerful offensive displays and strong defense. The Devils took a slight lead, 22-21, at the half.
Both the Devils and the Chargers were matching each other shot for shot, but also stopping each other with their aggressive defense. Going into the final quarter was a reset for both teams as the score was 29-29. In the fourth quarter there were fouls after fouls and the Devils began to get frustrated as were the Chargers.
Getting closer to the final buzzer the Devils were behind by three. The Chargers had four players fouled out and the Devils needed a three to tie. With little time to spare, the Devils played with panic and fell short to the Chargers, 49-45. The top scorer was Moore with 24 points.
JV Devils
The JV girls, meanwhile, ended their season on Friday in the opening game of the tripleheader at home against King and Queen. The older Tiger players dominated Mathews from the opening tipoff, leading to a 33-13 final score. Top scorer of the night for Mathews was Kate Small with six points.
