It’s time.
Today is the day that the Lady Cougar basketball team will face off with the Tuscarora Huskies. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Christiansburg High School. Ticket information is posted and fans should be reminded that they must purchase their tickets online before the game.
This game is huge. The Lady Cougars are now 25-3. The Huskies come into the matchup with a record of 26-2. The winner of this game will earn a trip to the big dance, the State Championship game. The winner of this game will play the winner of the 20-6 King’s Fork versus 23-3 Hampton game on the other side of the bracket.
There are no bad teams remaining at this point. If a team is still going, they’ve earned that right by playing a tough regular season and battling their way through the region and now state playoff brackets.
Pulaski County and Tuscarora are very similar in many ways. They both like to score points in transition. They both play tough defense. They both have players that can light up the scoreboard with the long shots or earn the tough points underneath.
There are three common opponents between Pulaski County and Tuscarora.
Both teams have played Millbrook. The Lady Cougars defeated Millbrook 57-36 in a holiday tournament this season. Tuscarora played them twice. In the first matchup, Tuscarora lost 42-48. The Huskies got the best of Millbrook in their second meeting, winning 50-42.
Both teams have played Louisa County. The Lady Cougars won the Region D Championship with a 66-52 win over the Lions. Tuscarora defeated the Lions a few days later 70-41.
The final common opponent is Sherando. The Lady Cougars defeated the Warriors 60-49 just a few short days ago. Tuscarora defeated the Warriors 43-29 in the Region C Tournament.
Other than the loss to Millbrook, the Huskies have only lost one other game this season. That loss came at the hands of Spotswood at the end of December by a final score of 59-42. Spotswood lost to Carroll County Friday by a final score of 52-87, ending their season at 20-5 in the State quarterfinals.
Tuscarora has several players that will cause any opponent problems. Friday against Louisa, Grace Middleton and Alysa Carrigan combined for 50 points. Carrigan also added 13 steals to her credit, a school record for the Huskies. They are not the only weapons for Tuscarora.
But Pulaski County has a few weapons as well. While a lot of attention will certainly be paid to Keslyn Secrist, Paige Huff, and Hannah Keefer, the rest of the team has shown they can be a threat as well. If Pulaski County attempts to double team a Tuscarora player, it will leave someone else less guarded. The same can be said for the Tuscarora defense.
The game promises to be a good one. Get your tickets early. Get to the gym at Christiansburg High School early. Pulaski County fans have supported this and all teams historically, but when it’s big game time, those fans show up and get loud. Hopefully the same will be true tonight.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.