NEWS RELEASE:
Two Bluefield Pride girls' travel basketball teams just returned from the USBA Nationals in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The Pride 14U team placed third overall in the annual national event. The teams are led by Head Coach Earl Sims and Assistants Cliffton Bradshaw and Shannon Atwell.
Scoring was led by 14 year old point guard Destiney Sims, who averaged 15 points per game with the 8th grade team. In addition, Destiney scored 31 points in the two and a half games she played with the 18U team. Sims wasn't the only standout. "It seemed like a different player stepped up each game, " said Atwell. Emaleigh Gallinger scored a tournament high with 21 points against the Carolina Express; Casey Spencer pulled down 18 rebounds against the Charlotte Lady Gems; and Jia Coppola dominated the game against the Tennessee Sparks with 16 points, 2 assists, 3 blocked shots, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals.
The team is made up of 9 players, ranging in age from 12 to 14 years old. They are: Abby Atwell, Jia Coppola, Emaliegh Gallinger, Shauntina Reed, Destiney Sims, Essence Sims, Casey Spencer, Jamaikah Wallace, and Taylor Webb.
The 14U Pride team lost in the semi-finals to the Greensboro Galaxy. "We lost by 19 points but it really doesn't show what a close, tough game it was," Atwell. The two teams were tied at half with 30, when early in the second half, Abby Atwell, Jia Coppola, and Emaleigh Gallinger fouled out. "With 3 players fouling out and 3 more playing with 4 fouls, it wreaked havoc on our aggressive style defense. Between trying to guard their 6'3" center and us missing 21 free throws, we just didn't finish the game well."
Atwell adds, "Bluefield should be really proud of these young ladies. They not only played great, but they also represented the area with incredible poise and sportsmanship. We had no idea how we would do when we got down there, but we won our first four games by 31 points, 28 points, 11 points and 32 points respectively. The girls had a great experience."
The combined high school team played in the 18U division with only 7 girls ranging from 14 to 17 years old. The older team played in the tournament without two of their starting guards, Liz Workman who injured her ACL in the Graham High championship soccer game and Crysta Meekins, a PikeView player who was out of the country on an educational trip. Atwell reports, "Our high school team did as well as could be expected. We won our first game blowing out Hartsville, SC by 20 points, and then we lost to Cincinnati by 7 points. The Pride lost the last two games to the Tri County Warriors from Raleigh – the team who ended up placing 2nd in the tournament. We ended up ranked 10th out of 14 teams."
The Pride 18U team was led in scoring by Tyra Jackson with 8 points per game; Coko Hopkins and Jesslyn Fullerton each had 7 points per game. Deja Taxley, Bailee Poe, and Erin Wilson led the inside game, with Taxley averaging 8 rebounds per game. Upcoming Sophomore Ashley Rasnake, joined the team right before the tournament to help fill in a guard position. Atwell says, "Ashley got to practice only once with us and she played really well, hustling with 7 steals and 6 points."
The Bluefield Pride girls' want to thank the many individual and business sponsors that made their season possible.
Assistant Coach Shannon Atwell
