HARRISONBURG--Chris Dodson paced the sideline and stomped his feet and nervously munched on Twizzlers.
Spotswood High School's girls basketball coach didn't feel any lead was safe. He'd seen Riverbend charge back from hefty deficits. Just two weeks ago the Bears clawed back from 19 down to win a regional semifinal.
So last night, even though Dodson's squad was thundering past Riverbend for most of its Group AA state quarterfinal at Eastern Mennonite University, the coach was a mountain of unease.
Finally, with a 13-point lead and 58 seconds left on the clock, Dodson came to terms with the result.
"We're going to win," he muttered to himself as his eyes darted toward the scoreboard. "We're going to win."
The coach was right. Playing in front of a raucous Spotswood-dominated crowd, the Blazers held on and grabbed a 69-54 victory.
Spotswood's Katy Larson had a game-high 24 points and Emily Rose added 15. Amber Showalter finished with six points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Jessica Nelms paced Riverbend (23-5) with 16 points and eight rebounds. Jessica Duncan tallied 11 points, Kierra Parker had eight points and Stacy Griffith had six points and nine rebounds. As a team, Riverbend pulled down 21 offensive rebounds.
"You can't really put your head down," Duncan said. "We're still one of the best schools in the state. Just to come together and make it this far says a lot."
It marked the final high school game of Riverbend's three seniors: Duncan, Bonnie Castro and Shannon Wheeler. Afterward, the Beard chose to look ahead rather than look back.
They're excited to have so many underclassmen. They're excited to have transformed themselves from an unknown first-year school into a state quarterfinalist.
"I will never question this team's heart, guts and pride," Riverbend coach Claude Tyler said. "They always fight right up until the game is over."
Last night the youthful Bears ran into a veteran Spotswood squad. The Blazers (23-5), who'll play Magna Vista in Friday' s state semifinals in Richmond, started four seniors and a junior, and had a gym full of throats on their side as well.
In the days leading up to the game, Dodson went back and read every newspaper article that was written about Riverbend over the last 100 days. He was looking for a hint, a theme that developed that showed where to attack.
After digging through thousands of words, Dodson decided it would be best to throw a press defense at the Bears and keep the pace fast.
"They wouldn't stay still," Nelms said of the Blazers. "There's usually a couple of people moving, but not a whole team like that."
After Duncan dropped a 10-footer off the glass to give Riverbend an early 4-2 edge, the Blazers attacked. They pressed and ran and kept things moving. With 4:59 left in the opening quarter, Whitney Riggleman stole a pass, coasted in for a layup and was fouled, capping a 7-0 burst.
Riverbend's Janay Weathers hit a free throw and Nelms added a bucket to stop the spurt, but before the Bears had a chance to regroup, Spotswood had put together a 9-0 rally to make it 18-7. Spotswood ultimately stretched its lead to 17 points early in the second period.
"We knew Riverbend was the kind of team that could come back from any deficit," Rose said. "Even when we were up by a lot, we couldn't allow ourselves to slow down."
The Bears found their composure and quelled Spotswood's run with a push of their own. With 3:14 left before halftime, Nelms came up with a steal and fed Griffith for a layup, making it 30-20.
Ayonia Mitchell drained an eight-footer from the right side at the 39-second mark to help pull Riverbend within 36-28 at the break.
"We played from behind too many times recently," Duncan said. "We needed to get a chance to play from ahead."
Spotswood started the second half with an 8-2 surge to make it 44-30, and the Blazers kept their poise. Riverbend pulled no closer than 11 points.
Afterward, Dodson said he saw a bright future ahead for the Bears. With his senior-laden Spotswood team, he's seen how experience and veteran-leadership can make a difference.
"If Riverbend stays together and they keep enjoying each other," Spotswood's coach said, "they'll be right back in this thing next year."
<> <> <> <> <> Riverbend <> 9 <> 19 <> 14 <> 12 <> -- <> 54 <> <> Spotswood <> 23 <> 13 <> 17 <> 16 <> -- <> 69Scoring
Riverbend (23-5): Jessica Duncan 11, Kierra Parker 8, Ayonia Mitchell 6, Fendi Richardson 4, Jessica Nelms 16, Janat Weathers 1, Stacy Griffith 6, Tiffany Ross 2.
Spotswood (23-5): Renee Stein 2, Kelly Hammer 3, Whitney Riggleman 5, Emily Rose 15, Katy Larson 24, Amber Showalter 6, Lauren Hitt 12.
Three-pointers: Riverbend 1 (Duncan); Spotswood 2 (Hammer, Ross).