Photos by Brad Davis
PikeView girls basketball head coach Tracy Raban is not afraid to send her team into the land of the big schools.
After a hard fought, physical battle with Class AAAA defending state champion Huntington Tuesday, the Panthers lined up against Spring Valley Wednesday at the New River CTC Invitational.
In the end, the speed, physicality and size of the Class AAAA Timberwolves were too much for PikeView to handle, but the Panthers proved they could exist in the land of the giants.
Guided by four players in double figures, Spring Valley knocked off PikeView, 57-47.
“I was pretty hot and upset coming off the court and I had to take some time walking up the tunnel to the team. We are young, but playing these four-A teams will only make us better,” Raban said. “I challenged them to find the positives from playing these schools and to take that four-A mentality back to our sectional and regional play. I am not worried about the record right now. We are just working to get better.”
PikeView led only two times in the contest, but the scrappy, hard-working Panthers were never out of the game either. After Spring Valley went on a 10-0 run early, PikeView scored seven straight to trail by just one after the first eight minutes.
While PikeView would keep the game close, it was clear even early that energy and stamina were going to play a key role in the game.
“I felt like our biggest challenge tonight would be how our stamina and fatigue would be after the hard effort against Huntington last night,” Raban admitted. “Not making excuses, but I didn’t feel like we played to our potential because we didn’t have a lot of our legs. The energy wasn’t there and I think it was because we put so much effort out last night.”
A basket from Cat Farmer gave PikeView an 11-10 advantage to open the second quarter, but second-chance points helped Spring Valley run off eight straight.
The Timberwolves would take the seven-point lead into the locker room.
Adding to the frustration for PikeView was the Spring Valley defensive effort on leading scorer Hannah Perdue.
“I have seen her play before and we had somebody in her face almost the entire game,” Spring Valley head coach Larry Bo Miller said. “I think it wore her down and got her a little frustrated. We knew she was a good player. I told the girls if she goes to get a popcorn, that we better pay for it.”
Spring Valley held Perdue to seven points in the game, but Raban saw it as something her team will learn from.
“The defense did take away from Hannah’s play and our outside shots weren’t falling because we really didn’t have our legs. Hannah is learning too. She really had to do it all in the past,” Raban said. “Now we have some kids here that are capable of stepping up. Anyah (Brown) has stepped up tremendously. Riley Meadows has stepped up and I thought Brooke (Craft) and Hannah (Harden) played a tremendous game.”
Spring Valley pushed the lead to 10 early in the second half, but, as would be the case all night, PikeView came storming back.
Key to the run was four points from the freshman Meadows who has made a quick impact after missing two weeks with tonsillitis earlier in the year. Meadows finished with a game-high 19 points.
“I know she has it and that is why she is in the position she is in,” Raban said. “If she can keep giving us a performance like that, along with what Hannah and Anyah gives us, things look positive.”
After watching his team give up an 8-0 run with some bad offensive decisions, Miller wanted a timeout.
“At times we played pretty good and at times we played dumb. We are up and haven’t made a 3 all day and we are still firing up 25-footers,” Miller lamented. “I had to call a timeout there and rip them before they realized we could still get to the basket. Then we started to score.”
Spring Valley led by nine after three quarters and made it 11 on two free-throws to start the final eight minutes.
PikeView answered again with seven points from Meadows and a bucket from Hannah Harden to cut the lead to 43-41 with 4:26 to play.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the ability of the Timberwolves to get to the rim proved too much down the stretch.
“It took a long time for the girls to realize it, but once we got the ball to the rim we were pretty good and we have girls that can get there,” Miller said. “They are good team and I know they played last night, so they were probably a little tired. They have some nice players and will make a run.”
Hallie Bailey led Spring Valley with 16, while Dria Parker had 14. Allie Daniels scored 12 and Haleigh Crum chipped in 10 for the Timberwolves. Brown scored 11 for PikeView.
PV: 9 6 17 15 – 47
SV: 10 12 19 16 – 57
PikeView
Hannah Harden 2, Brooke Craft 4, Hannah Perdue 7, Anyah Brown 11, Riley Meadows 19, Cat Farmer 4.
Spring Valley
Holley Riggs 5, Haleigh Crum 10, Hallie Bailey 16, Allie Daniels 12, Dria Parker 14.
3-pointers – PV: 1 (Meadows); SV: 1 (Parker).
