Lady Cougar Basketball News > Varsity

Because after Friday night's performance, Cougar fans will tell you HD is clearly the way to go.

Pulaski sharpshooter Hannah Davidson scored a season-high 17 points, connecting on five 3-pointers (in nine attempts), pacing her team to a 53-39 victory over Blacksburg and the River Ridge District tournament championship played at Salem High School.

The win capped a whirlwind week for the fifth-seeded Cougars (14-11), who won three tournament games against higher seeds in a 96-hour span. Pulaski edged fourth-seeded Salem on Monday night 49-48 and nipped top-seeded and regular-season champion Hidden Valley 54-52 on Wednesday night.

Pulaski and Blacksburg advance to regional competition next week, as do the tournament's third- and fourth-place finishers, Hidden Valley and Christiansburg. Salem athletic director Sandy Hadaway, who served as the district tournament director, said the region's athletic directors will convene in Wytheville on Sunday morning to determine seeds, opponents and game times. Some district tournaments will not be complete until tonight.

Hidden Valley defeated Christiansburg 53-47 in Friday's third-place game.

"Our girls did a great job tonight," said Pulaski County coach Jason Grubb. "They took the lead from the get-go. Of course, Blacksburg is talented and well-coached; we figured they'd make a run and they did. But we really played good defense."

Pulaski still made plenty of fouls (21), but the Cougars limited the Bruins to just six field goals in the first three quarters. Half of those came from freshman reserve Nikki Burkes, who scored all of Blacksburg's nine second-quarter points.

Pulaski led 40-22 by the end of the third, as Davidson and cohort Raiven Patterson outscored the entire Bruin team. Blacksburg trimmed the lead to 12 at the four-minute mark, but "it was a little late," according to Blacksburg coach Mickey McGuigan. The Bruins (17-7) had defeated Pulaski twice during the regular season.

"I knew during warm-ups that I was going to be able to shoot," said Davidson, who made her first 25 free throws of the season before missing two against Salem on Monday. "We came together as a team tonight. It wasn't just me."

Davidson was clearly the catalyst, however, as nearly all of her treys came at opportune times, either igniting or putting the exclamation point on Pulaski runs.

Blacksburg's Mallory Jones, who was named the district player of the year, led her team with 12 points, all but one coming in the second half.

In the early game, Hidden Valley (13-11) jumped to a commanding 16-2 lead and weathered Christiansburg's last-ditch rally that pulled the Blue Demons (12-12) as close as four points twice in the final two minutes.

"We know how to win ugly," joked Titans coach Randy Bush, who earned district coach of the year honors. The Titans have won eight of their last nine games. Hidden Valley got balanced scoring from front-line players Rachel Singleton (14 points), Lindsay Divers (12) and Jordan McDonald (nine). Bush credited the Demons' second-half rally as outstanding Christiansburg play.

"I don't know how they do it with just seven players," Bush said. "I can't imagine how they practice."

Dani Motley led Christiansburg with 19, while Morgan Shrader added 15. Motley was recognized at the tournament's conclusion as the first player in RRD history to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds during her career.

PULASKI COUNTY (14-11)

Holcomb 3 1-3 7, Patterson 5 3-5 13, Davidson 6 0-0 17, A. Long 0 0-2 0, Ball 1 3-4 5, Riegert 2 0-2 4, Shay 0 0-0 0, Samuelson 3 1-2 7, Lawson 0 0-0 0, Thacker 0 0-1 0. Totals 20 8-19 53.

BLACKSBURG (17-7)

Henderson 1 0-0 2, McMahan 1 3-4 5, Priest 1 1-2 3, Jones 3 6-7 12, Kipps 1 4-9 6, Houston 0 0-0 0, Burkes 4 2-2 11, H. Long 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 16-24 39.

Pulaski County 12 15 13 13-- 53

Blacksburg 6 9 7 17 --39

3-point goals -- Pulaski County 5 (Davidson 5), Blacksburg 1 (Burkes). Total fouls -- Pulaski County 21, Blacksburg 19. Fouled out McMahan. Technical fouls -- none.

CHRISTIANSBURG (12-12)

A. Moran 0 0-0 0, E. Moran 4 0-0 9, Shrader 6 2-3 15, Motley 6 7-9 19, Childress 2 0-0 4, Wright 0 0-0 0, Evans 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-12 47.

HIDDEN VALLEY (13-11)

Osborne 1 3-6 6, Singleton 4 5-6 14, Crotty 1 0-0 2, Divers 5 2-2 12, McDonald 4 1-2 9, Evans 1 2-2 4, Hamrick 1 3-3 6. Totals 17 16-21 53.

Christiansburg 4 9 13 21 47

Hidden Valley 18 10 10 15 53

3-point goals -- Christiansburg 2 (E. Moran, Shrader), Hidden Valley 3 (Osborne, Hamrick, Singleton). Total fouls Christiansburg 18, Hidden Valley 12. Fouled out none. Technical fouls none.