The James Monroe girls basketball team went 20-0 during the regular season, dismantling its opponents by an average of 45.5 points per game in one of the most dominant campaigns in the Fredericksburg area in recent memory.
Any notion that the Yellow Jackets would face much stiffer competition once tournament time rolled around has been quickly and emphatically dispelled through their first two contests.
Kiyah Lewis had 24 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and three assists as James Monroe had little difficulty handling perennial powerhouse Meridian in a 54-38 Region 3B semifinal victory on Tuesday night in Fredericksburg.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jackets sting Meridian to advance to state tournament
JM defeated Fauquier 87-31 in the region quarterfinals last Friday.
Tuesday’s win sends the top-seeded Jackets (22-0) to the state tournament for the first time since 2012. But first, they’ll host No. 2 seed Brentsville for the regional championship Thursday at 7 p.m.
Brentsville (19-4) outlasted third-seeded Culpeper (18-6) 57-47 in Tuesday’s other semifinal matchup.
“This feels great,” a beaming Lewis said. “This was one of our goals at the start of the [season], so it’s great to be able to take JM back to states.”
Lewis, the Battlefield District co-player of the year, was instrumental in the Jackets’ big night from the get-go. She scored the first eight points of the contest and finished with 13 points in the first quarter, sparking the hosts to a 22-6 lead.
“Kiyah’s phenomenal,” JM head coach Tameka Christopher said of the senior forward. “She’s a great leader, and she got us going early on tonight.”
Lewis’ aggressive play included crashing the offensive glass, where she pulled down eight of her boards. She said that was a point of emphasis entering the game.
“Coming into this game, we knew we had to rebound,” Lewis remarked. “At times this season, we haven’t been as good of a rebounding team as we wanted to be, so we knew we really had to step it up against a good team. We wanted the ball in our hands as much as possible.”
The Jackets out-rebounded the Mustangs 40-31.
Fourth-seeded Meridian (17-6), which was seeking its sixth consecutive trip to the region final and the state tourney, played JM on even terms after the opening period.
Point guard Charlotte Lieu brushed off a difficult first half in which she turned the ball over five times against the Jackets’ aggressive man-to-man defense, scoring all nine of her points after intermission. And forward Elizabeth Friesen, who led the Mustangs with 10 points, sank a 3-pointer to cut JM’s advantage to 45-34 with 4:30 left to play.
Lewis ensured Meridian would get no closer, though. She converted a three-point play to nullify Friesen’s trey, then added another basket in the paint and a free throw over the final three minutes of the contest to slam the door shut.
“[Lewis] isn’t afraid to step up,” Christopher said. “She knows when to take over, that’s for sure.”
Junior forward Harmony Jones was the Jackets’ other double-figure scorer, tallying 10 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and two assists. She recorded eight of her points in the second half.
Meridian 6 11 12 9 — 38
James Monroe 22 11 12 9 — 54
Meridian (17-6): Charlotte Lieu 9, Angeliki Bousbouras 0, Zoe Gale 2, Aidan Friesen 0, Elizabeth Friesen 10, Eleanor Stufft 8, Bridget Creed 1, Grace Kummer 0, Rose Weatherly 5, Claire Wearherly 0, Anisa Frey 3. Totals: 14 7-10 38.
James Monroe (22-0): Jaylah Black 5, Melanie Johnson 7, Alexia Robinson 0, Kiyah Lewis 24, Finè Swain 0, Laila Taylor 0, Harmony Jones 10, Daysha Salgado 8. Totals: 18 16-25 54.
3-pointers: Meridian 3 (E. Friesen 2, R. Weatherly). James Monroe 2 (Johnson, Lewis).
