Charleston – James Monroe tried lemons instead of its usual citrus delicacy of oranges prior to its Class AA quarterfinal matchup with Lincoln. But you don’t mess with rituals that have been successful to this point of the season.
Still it was business as usual for the top seed in the Class AA field.
James Monroe forced 33 turnovers Tuesday evening, bombarding No. 8 Lincoln in a 68-33 victory over the Cougars in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The win sends James Monroe to the Class AA semis for the second consecutive season where it will face regional rival Wyoming East on Friday at 1 p.m.
Dunlap sisters Mya and Lydia stole the show again with the former, playing in her fifth career state tournament game, netting a game-high 21 points while the latter made her debut in Charleston to the tune on 18 points and 16 rebounds.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Lady Mavs rolled in the second half, outscoring Lincoln 40-18 in the second half. That came after forcing 20 turnovers in the second half.
“It’s a tough defense,” James Monroe head coach Shari Helvey said. “That’s how we teach it, that’s how we play it. Once you get a few turnovers and little bit of momentum it’s nice to see that happen. (Kendall Long, Mya and Lydia Dunlap) played phenomenal defense I thought and it just kind of gets you into that offensive movement too.”
With the offense struggling, shooting just 11-of-38 (28 percent) from the field in the first half, the Dunlap sisters steadied the storm with eight points each, helping the Mavs build a 28-15 halftime advantage.
“Coming in my freshman year, it’s never wracking being in this big arena,” Mya said. “You just have to shake off the nerves. You’ll have them as soon as you step on the court but after the first quarter, you really have to listen to your teammates and your coach.”
Her younger sister proved especially efficient, going 9-for-17 from the field and splitting her 16 rebounds evenly across the first and second half, doing so against a Lincoln team that featured size at every position.
“I knew coming in they were going to be really big so I had to step up my rebounding,” Lydia said. “I almost like having bigger people to guard because it challenges me and makes me a better player.”
The Mavericks’ early offense consisted mostly of 3-pointers as three of their five field goals in the first quarter came from beyond the arc off the fingertips of Peighton Griffith, Mya Dunlap and Grayson Johnson.
Those shots coupled with 14 Lincoln turnovers in the opening frame set the Mavs up with a 14-4 lead. The Cougars answered early in the second, netting back-to-back buckets to cut the lead to six but Long, who finished with 13 points and seven steals, sparked an 11-0 run alongside Lydia to push the lead out to 17.
Lincoln trimmed the deficit to 13 at the break but the Mavs came out of the half, ready to nail the coffin.
Mya Dunlap kicked off the run with a 3 before Long scored and Dunlap added another layup. Lincoln fought back, getting a three-point play from Brystol Toth to cut the deficit back to 15 but it was Mya and Long again pushing it back to 20, kicking off a 9-0 run that was capped by Lydia Dunlap.
That run effectively ended the game, setting up a third final matchup with the Mavs’ Region 3 rival.
“Again, we’ve been fortunate to see them twice this season and been able to beat them twice,” Helvey said “Then again this is Wyoming East we’re talking about. And it’s a storied history, it’s a successful coach who will have his team ready to go. We need to be also at our best. I thought it was a good step in that direction and we have a couple days to rest a few people, get some time to enjoy ourself.
“We’re going to soak it up today but come tomorrow we’ll be back, locked in on Wyoming East. It takes a little bit of work away from me, but nothing stops getting these girls ready to go and I think (Wyoming East head coach) Ryan (Davidson) will have his team ready to go and it’ll be just as it has been all season – a very good matchup for both of us and hopefully we can come out on the other end of it.”
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