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PM Girls Win Region Title



Add another trophy to the mantle for the Parry McCluer girls basketball team.

 

Katie Claytor hit a shot with four seconds remaining the game, and the Blues claimed the Region 1C title with a 49-48 victory over Auburn Tuesday, March 1, at Rockbridge County High School.

 

The Blues trailed by one, 48-47, when Auburn’s Morgan Mundy hit one of two free throws with just 16 seconds remaining in the contest. The next time down the floor, Claytor drove the middle of the lane and sank a jumper at the four-second mark. A desperation heave at the buzzer fell short for the Eagles, and Parry McCluer claimed its third region title since 2015.

 

Claytor scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the second half to pace the Blues, while Anna Claytor chipped in with 11, including a three-point play the old fashioned way to tie the game at 48-48 with 2:58 to play. Allyson Martin’s 21 points were tops for Auburn, and Katelyn Lafon added 10.

 

The team’s traded punches in the first half and went to intermission tied at 26-26. The Blues started the third quarter with a 12-0 run, however, capped by Sydney Taylor’s three-pointer, and seemed poised to run away with the championship. But the Blues went scoreless for the last 4:09 of the period, and Auburn cut the lead to 40-37 heading into the final quarter.

 

Though the Blues were outrebounded 26-19 in the game, including 13 offensive rebounds pulled down by the Eagles, PM forced 19 turnovers in the contest, turning those miscues into 25 points. The Blues also went 17-for-20 from the free throw line, with Katie Claytor knocking down nine of 10. Auburn, meanwhile, went 18-for-28 from the charity stripe.

 

The Blues, now 25-1 overall this season and making their seventh appearance in the final eight over the last eight years, will face Grundy in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament Friday, March 4, in Buena Vista.

 

Auburn

7

19

11

11

48

 

PM

11

15

14

9

49

 

Auburn (48)

Lafon 4 2-4 10, Huffman 1 1-2 3, Martin 7 7-10 21, Terry 2 0-0 4, Rorrer 1 6-10 9, Mundy 0 1-2 1. Totals 15 18-28 48.

Parry McCluer (49)

K. Grow 1 2-3 4, M. Henson 2 0-0 5, A. Claytor 5 1-1 11, Hamilton 0 1-2 1, Emore 0 2-2 2, G. Henson 0 2-2 2, K. Claytor 6 9-10 21, Taylor 1 0-0 3. Totals – 15 17-20 49.

3-point FG – PM 2 (M. Henson, Taylor). Fouled out – none.

 

 

 

PM Girls Add Tournament Title



Parry McCluer’s girls basketball team overcame a poor shooting night with a tenacious defense and slipped past Eastern Montgomery, 36-33, in the championship game of the Pioneer District tournament Friday, Feb. 18, in Buena Vista.

 

With the victory, the Blues completed the sweep of district hardware, adding the tournament title to their regular-season crown. Parry McCluer now boasts a 22-1 record heading into next week’s Region 1C tournament.

 

The Blues forced 25 Eastern Montgomery turnovers in the game and used that defense to roar out to a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter. But every time it appeared PM was going to pull away, the Mustangs came storming back.

 

That last time was in the fourth quarter, with the Blues holding on to a 34-26 advantage with just over a minute to play. The Mustangs, however, scored the game’s next six points and trimmed the Parry McCluer lead to 34-33 with less than 20 seconds remaining.

 

Eastern Montgomery had a chance to win the game late when PM’s Anna Claytor missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Claytor stole the ball at half court and was fouled. The junior then calmly sank two free throws to seal the victory.

 

Claytor finished the game with 22 points to lead all scorers, while Katie Claytor tallied seven. Lilly Underwood and Morgan Bahnken each scored 10 points to lead the Mustangs.

 

Both teams earned spots in the upcoming regional tournament, which will begin Wednesday, Feb. 23. The Blues will face Galax, the fourth seed from the Mountain Empire District.

 

EM

8

6

3

16

33

PM

11

6

8

11

36

Eastern Montgomery (33)

Underwood 4 0-0 10, Boone 2 0-0 4, Bahnken 4 2-7 10, Felty 1 0-0 2, Bruce 3 0-0 7. Totals – 14 2-7 33.

Parry McCluer (36)

M. Henson 1 1-2 3, A. Claytor 8 5-9, 22, G. Henson 2 0-0 4, K. Claytor 3 0-0 7. Totals – 14 6-11 36.

3-point FG – Eastern Montgomery 3 (Underwood 2, Bruce), PM 2 (A. Claytor, K. Claytor). Fouled out – none.