Ervinton Ends Bland's Season

By David Grimes Sunday, March 07 2010 01:00

Ervinton led from start to finish, as they claimed a lopsided 66-46 win over Bland County in the quarterfinals of the Group A, Division 1 girls state tournament Saturday at the Salem Civic Center.

The Rebels(24-4), making their first-ever appearance in the state tournament, would run out to a 17-10 lead after the opening quarter. Chelsea Hill was unstoppable, as she scored nine points in the quarter for Ervinton.

Ervinton would continue to control the tempo throughout the second quarter. Hill and Kelly Rasnick would have the shooting touch for the Rebels. Laurel Hankins would score six points in the quarter to keep Bland County (22-3) within striking distance, as the half ended with Ervinton holding a 34-21 advantage.

The Bears, behind 10 points from Hankins, would open up the third quarter with a 14-2 run to pull to within four, 39-35, with 1:47 left in the quarter. The Rebels would close out the stanza with an 8-2 spurt to pull back out to a 47-37 lead heading into the final quarter.

Ervinton would pull away in the fourth quarter, as they started with an 8-5 spurt to pull out to a 55-42 advantage with five minutes left in the game. The Bears would hit 9-of-12 foul shots in the final 3:30 to pull away with the 66-46 victory and the school’s first-ever trip to Richmond.

For the game, Bland County was 16-of-53 from the floor for 30 percent and Ervinton was 21-of-48 for 44 percent.

Bland County, who lost in the Group A state finals last year, was led by Laurel Hankins’ 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Chelsea Hill led Ervinton with a game-high 25 points and Kelly Rasnick added 20 points. Hill also scored her 1,000^th-career point in the game.

Click here to see additional photos from this game in our Photo Gallery.

Photo: Bland County's Laurel Hankins (#12) looks surprised as Ervinton's Chelsea Hill (#33) guards her during Saturday's Group A, Division 1 state quarterfinal game at the Salem Civic Center. (Photo by David Grimes)