Freedom Reaches Final

Eagles on Verge of School's First State Title

By Paul Tenorio

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

RICHMOND — Freedom point guard Meixandra Porter sat on the bench at halftime of Tuesday's Virginia AA Division 3 state semifinal and cried out of frustration.

Porter, the Region II player of the year, was struggling and the No. 11 Eagles were trailing by seven to Millbrook, a team they had beaten by 18 in the regional final.

But as Freedom (27-2) started to rally from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Porter said she was determined to help her team.

So with the Eagles trailing by three, Porter spotted up just beyond arc and made a three-pointer.

Fifty seconds later, the senior's layup gave Freedom its first lead since the second quarter, and the Eagles would never trail again, advancing to the state championship game with a 50-43 win.

"They were on the free-throw line," Porter said. "And I specifically remember thinking, 'I'm gonna make that three. When we come down, I'm gonna make a three.' And I came down and made a three and I was just like, 'Let's go.' "

The Colorado State-bound Porter was just 1 of 12 from the field before hitting the two crucial shots - which came during a 16-2 Freedom run. But Eagles Coach Jason Eldredge said he never hesitated putting the ball in Porter's hands.

"She missed a layup in the third [and] my assistant Joe [Crawford] looked at me and said: 'Jay her head's not in it. What are we going to do?' " Eldredge said. "And I said: 'We're going to ride her. That's what we're going to do. And she's either going to suck it up or our season's over.' "

Porter's two shots came on the heels of a huge play from junior Kelsey Buchanan that ignited the crucial run.

Buchanan blocked a Millbrook shot on one side of the lane, then spun and blocked a shot on the other side to start a fast break. Buchanan ran the floor and grabbed an offensive rebound that led to a layup and a foul.

The junior, who finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, hit the free throw to complete the three-point play, pulling Freedom within one.

Buchanan had struggled to get good looks in the first half as Millbrook (25-3) used two and three players to smother the 6-foot-3 center, who towered over the Pioneers' smaller frontcourt.

While Freedom wavered early offensively, Millbrook was hot, knocking down four threes in the first half, and getting to the line often, hitting 7 of 9.

"The first half we came out and we were really pumped up and it was our second time playing Freedom so we knew what we had to do on offense," said Millbrook junior forward Lacey Harris. "Second half I think we just couldn't find our rhythm, we couldn't get our shots to fall and we just weren't in the right place on offense."

Notes: After the game, Freedom Coach Jason Eldredge credited his team’s perseverance to their dedication to honor the memory of Eric Olsen, a boys’ lacrosse and cross country coach at the South Riding school who died of cancer on Jan. 25. Eldredge said the Eagles have dedicated the season to Olsen’s memory. ... Freedom brought eight busloads of students to the game and there were approximately 600 students in attendance. ... Freedom will face Robert E. Lee in the final on Saturday morning at Siegel Center. The Staunton school defeated Lord Botetourt, 55-49, on Tuesday in the other semifinal game. Lee was most recently a finalist in 2002 and has won two state titles, including 1994, when it defeated Loudoun Valley, 54-31.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks