Porter, Buchanan Help Freedom Rally for Spot in State Final

RICHMOND, March 10 -- Freedom-South Riding point guard Meixandra Porter sat on the bench at halftime of Tuesday's Virginia AA Division 3 state girls' basketball 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 region final.

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

So with the Eagles trailing by three, Porter spotted up just beyond the 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 at Siegel Center.

"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 for 12 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 sequence 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. She then 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.

In the first half, Millbrook (25-3) used two and three players to smother the 6-foot-3 center, who towered over the Pioneers' smaller front court.

While Freedom struggled early, Millbrook made four three-pointers in the first half and got to the line often, hitting 7 of 9 free throws.

"In the 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," Millbrook's Lacey Harris said.

No. 11 Freedom 50 Millbrook 43 Dedication: 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 school who died of cancer on Jan. 25. Up Next: 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.