Northview Girls Roll To State Tournament Win

By Mike Blum

When a basketball coach can pull the last of his starters a minute or so into the fourth quarter of a second round state tournament game, it means the first three periods went pretty well.

The Northview High School Lady Titans amassed a whopping 39-point lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and went on to an easy victory over visiting Valdosta Feb. 22 by the slightly deceptive score of 74-54.

The score was 70-31 when Northview coach Chris Yarbrough replaced his remaining starters on the floor for the night, giving the team’s little-used reserves some unexpected playing time.

The Lady Titans will be at home Feb. 28 in the AAAAAA state quarterfinals against Stephenson, which was the seeded fourth from its region but has already defeated two higher-seeded opponents.

Northview jumped out to a 7-2 lead less than 90 seconds into the game, but Valdosta rallied to tie the game 11-11. The Lady Titans began pulling away at that point, taking a 24-16 lead at the end of the period before blowing open the game with an impressive showing at both ends of the court in the second quarter.

The Lady Titans continued to pick apart Valdosta’s full court press and stepped up their defensive play, outscoring the Lady Wildcats 22-7 in the second period to take a 46-23 halftime lead. Northview took the third quarter 19-8 and scored the first five points of the final period for a 70-31 advantage before the subs took over.

“I thought we started a little sluggish but started playing a little better defensively,” Yarbrough said. “I thought we did a fantastic job breaking their press. I don’t think we turned the ball over much against it, and I think that’s the first time someone has pressed us all game.”

Northview’s ball handlers were able to handle Valdosta’s defensive pressure, while the Lady Titans’ inside duo of Ashlee Austin and Maya Richards hurt Valdosta under the basket, with all-around standout Shannon Titus contributing considerably in both areas.

After scoring a triple double that was almost a quintuple double in Northview’s opening round state tournament victory, Titus had a more modest stat line against Valdosta. But the Lady Titans did not need any extreme heroics from their senior standout to make it to the quarterfinals.

Austin led Northview in scoring with 19 points, Richards had 14 and Titus 13. Megan Cistulli connected on three of Northview’s eight 3-pointers and added 11 points, with reserve Makayla Davis hitting a pair of well-timed 3s. The first put the Lady Titans ahead 15-11 in the opening period, with the second beating the halftime buzzer as Northview took a 23-point lead into the locker room.

Freshman point guard Asjah Inniss scored a modest five points, but her penetration was key in helping to get teammates open shots both inside and out.

“She was able to penetrate their zone,” Yarbrough said of Inniss, “and we were balanced across the board.”

In addition to shooting over the Valdosta zone for 3-pointers, the Lady Titans scored six baskets off offensive rebounds and at least as many beating the press as well as after their own forced turnovers.

Northview (27-3) went undefeated in 7-AAAAAA, while Stephenson (20-10) tied for second in its region but lost twice in the tournament to drop to the fourth seed. Stephenson won its first two playoff games on the road, including an opening round victory at region champion Brunswick.

Also advancing to the quarterfinals was Chattahoochee, which won its second round game 61-48 at Grovetown, the Region 3-AAAAAA champion. According to the school's Facebook page, Siena Gore set a school record with 38 points while Alayna Ford scored 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Chattahoochee (22-6) will take on a team from Stephenson’s region in the quarterfinals, playing at Lovejoy on Feb. 28. Lovejoy (25-4) was first in Region 4-AAAAAA during the regular season before losing in the tournament finals.

Image via Patch