basketball fans have two reasons to celebrate. The boys and girls teams won their Virginia Independent Schools Division 1 Championships on March 3.
The Lady Panthers defeated Liberty Christian Academy from Lynchburg to win the team's sixth consecutive state championship. They overcame a slow offensive start, but as they clung to a narrow lead midway through the second quarter junior guard Marlena Tremba scored four 3-pointers within a four minute span to spark the Panthers. A team effort led to final score of PVI 67, Liberty Christian 45.
No other basketball team in the history of the VISAA has won six consecutive state championships. The Lady Panthers also tied their own school record for most wins in a season (23) and finished fourth in the WCAC for the year.
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Marlena Tremba and Lauren Cox secured spots on the All Tournament Team. Sophomore Ariana Freeman, who led PVI in scoring (averaging 25.6 points per game), took the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors.
The PVI boys game was a battle from the start. PVI had played Episcopal early in the year. Back then they found themselves in one of the biggest holes of their season, down 14 points late in the third quarter before coming back to win.
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The Panthers stayed in control of the game for the final three quarters, taking a 10-point lead with just over a minute to play before going on to win. The final score was 62-61, thanks to a a three at the buzzer by Episcopal.
Patrick Holloway provided the second half spark, scoring all 16 of his points after intermission. Tilman Dunbar posted 12 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds. Marcus Derrickson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The All-Tournament Team included Coleman Johnson, Patrick Holloway and Derrickson, who was also named Tournament MVP.
What's next four the Panthers? They'll try out the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament at Frostburg State University. They've also secured a spot in the Abe Pollin City Title Game against Coolidge on March 20 at the Verizon Center.
