In a back-and-forth battle, the Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team came up short 76-74 against Fort Chiswell in the Region1C championship game on Saturday afternoon at Pulaski County High School in Dublin.
Fort Chiswell (22-5), the top seed from the Mountain Empire District, led 75-71 in the final minute before PM senior forward Sam Griffin hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 75-74 with 26 seconds left. Fort then hit a free throw with four seconds left, but PM’s final shot attempt missed.
The Fighting Blues (22-4), the top seed from the Pioneer District, will advance to the Class 1 state tournament for the second year in a row and were the Region 1C runners-up for the second consecutive year. The state quarterfinal game is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Patrick Henry-Glade Spring (23-3) at Virginia High School in Bristol.
The regional championship game was close the whole way, with the Blues taking a 15-14 lead after the first quarter before the Pioneers battled back to go up 34-32 at halftime. Fort led 55-53 after the third quarter before the Blues took the lead back in the fourth quarter, but the Pioneers finished strong to take the title.
Last year, the Blues lost to George Wythe 75-57 in the Region 1C championship game before concluding their season with an 84-60 loss to Patrick Henry-Glade Spring in the Class 1 state quarterfinals.
The story and photos from the regional tournament will be in our March 4 newspaper.
