RALEIGH – Mountain Heritage wrapped up a perfect season, returning to the State Championship Game for the first time since 1981, and holding off Farmville Central for a 63-53 victory and the school’s first Women’s Basketball Championship.
The two teams played a very even game in the first half, with Mountain Heritage winning both the first and second quarter by a single point to carry a two-point lead into the half. The third quarter was the decisive quarter, as after Farmville Central’s Amiya Joyner’s layup to open the second half scoring and tie the game at 32, Mountain Heritage went on a 15-0 run to open up a 47-32 advantage with 3:29 to play in the third.
Hannah Tipton had six of the 15 during the third quarter run for the Cougars, she finished the game with 29 points and five rebounds while chipping in a pair of assists and steals. Tipton was selected as the Kay Yow Most Valuable Player for the 2A Championship.
Hannah Ray was the only other player in double-figures for Mountain Heritage as she scored 12 with three rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists. Ray was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player for Mountain Heritage.
After falling behind by 15, Farmville Central made it interesting down the stretch, cutting the Cougars lead down to 5 with just 1:24 to play when Ja’Shyran Carmon hit a jump shot. However, that is as close as the Jaguars would come with Tipton and teammate Presley Peterson converting free throws down the stretch.
Amiya Joyner was one of three Jaguars in double-figures, scoring 15 points to lead the team. She also grabbed 14 of the team’s 35 rebounds on her way to being named the Jaguars Most Outstanding Player. Jordan Joyner had 12 points and four rebounds for Farmville Central and Carmon added 11 and four rebounds.
Farmville Central ended the year with their first loss of the season, closing the books on 2018-19 with a 27-1 record. The Jaguars were 10-0 in the Eastern Plains 2A Conference winning the Championship. Farmville Central won the school’s sixth Eastern Regional Championship in Women’s Basketball.
Mountain Heritage went a perfect 29-0 on the season, 10-0 in the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference to win that championship. The Cougars won the school’s second Western Regional title, the first since 1981, and won the school’s first Women’s Basketball State Championship.
The NCHSAA, in partnership with the North Carolina Farm Bureau, is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship. Prior to the start of the game, the Association recognizes one individual from each team with the 2019 North Carolina Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards. This year’s recipients were Kirsten Barrett from Farmville Central and Victoria Burge from Mountain Heritage.
