Sugars Scores 25 To Lead Pioneers
(HARRISONBURG, VA)--The Millbrook Pioneers entered their state quarterfinal match-up as one of the favorites to take home a state title. The team that stood in the way of the Pioneers was the Courtland Cougars who came into the ballgame as the Region I runner-up with an overall record of 18-8. The Pioneers were on a 12 game winning streak going into the contest.
The Pioneers may have been the team that was favored but the Cougars started the game with no fear and stood toe to toe with the favorite. Both teams started the game running, combining for 35 points in the quarter. Jordan Sugars paced the Pioneers with 7 points in the opening quarter. Not to be outdone junior Luke Sellers of the Cougars matched Sugars with 7 points of his own. Although Millbrook won the opening stanza 18 - 17, the Cougars were serving notice that they would not lie down and go out easily. After the teams took a breather in between quarters there was much of the same in the 2nd quarter. Both teams chose to go to their benches, using 9 man rotations for much of the first half. Courtland relied on the hot shooting hand of Sellers as he drained four 3-pointers in the half and led all scorers as the teams entered the locker rooms for the halftime break. The Cougars were able to grab a slim advantage on the scoreboard behind Sellers' hot shooting and sophomore Josh Hairston's big play inside with 13 points.
Millbrook came out of the locker room and looked like a team on a mission. Sugars continued to lead the team, tallying 9 points in the period. Millbrook's defense combined with the Cougars missed shots allowed the Pioneers to outscore Courtland 24 - 6 in the 3rd. The conditioning of the Pioneers started to show as the teams began the 4th quarter of the ballgame. Millbrook continued to press and force the Cougars into shots which they did not necessarily want to take. It was again Jordan Sugars' play that closed the game for Millbrook, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds in the contest. The game was all but decided with 4 minutes to go, and Millbrook was able to cruise to the finish and win the game 74 - 53.
With the victory Millbrook will advance to play the Blacksburg Bruins. The game will be played Thursday March 13th in Richmond, on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30pm with the winner moving onto the state finals to be held in Richmond, Saturday night.
Game Stats
Millbrook
Jordan Sugars: 25 points, 14 rebounds
Calvin Rodney: 16 points, 6 rebounds
Erick Green: 16 points, 1 rebound
Clayton Rodney: 9 points, 5 rebounds
Courtland
Luke Sellers: 20 points, 2 rebounds
Josh Hairston: 17 points, 11 rebounds
Lamar Giggetts: 9 points, 5 rebounds
Mario McMorris: 4 points, 1 rebound
Chick - Fil - A Players of the Game
Millbrook: Jordan Sugars, Senior
Sugars' led all scorers in the contest with 25. He was also able to grab 14 rebounds en route to the win. Sugars has been key to the Pioneers run all season long, and if he produces 2 more outputs like this one, Millbrook could be hoisting the state championship trophy.
Courtland: Josh Hairston, Sophomore
Hairston played well all night against the tough Pioneer defense. He was able to contribute 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Hairston has a lot to look forward to next season as the Cougars will only be losing 1 player from this year's squad.
