Brentsville hopes to keep its magical season going

Brentsville's girls' basketball has already had a great season. It is 21-5. It won the Northwestern District regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Group AA state tournament by beating Freedom South-Riding in a Region II semifinal.

Now the Tigers hope their magical season lasts past Saturday.

A Group AA state semifinal game awaits Brentsville provided it beats Region I champion Greens-ville County in a quarterfinal.

"I'm hoping we just enjoy all the things we've accomplished at this point," Tigers coach Eugene Baltimore said. "Hopefully we can accomplish one other thing and go to the final four."

The Tigers certainly have confidence entering Saturday's game. Confidence is something the Tigers have built over time.

"It's definitely increased a lot from the beginning of the year," guard Kimmy Hopkins said. "We weren't ranked in the state. We were predicted to get second in our district. It's increased a lot. We know now we can play with pretty much anyone when-ever we come ready to play."

Brentsville must certainly be prepared for what Greensville County (24-1) presents. The Eagles have no seniors, but a good mix of six sophomores, two juniors and two freshmen. They are led by six-foot-two sophomore center Gabrielle Tyler and five-foot-10 junior guard/forward Quevana Avent.

The Eagles are appearing in the state tournament for the first time since 1997.

"They got size and athletic ability," Eugene Baltimore said. "We're going to have to play well for four quarters to win -- four quarters, not three quarters, four quarters to win."

The Tigers must consistently make shots from the floor. Their offense was stymied in the Region II final thanks to Charlottesville's aggressive defense, which held Brentsville to only 39 points.

Hitting shots is "really important," Tigers guard Keyla Baltimore said.

And the Tigers certainly must not be passive.

"We can't go in there tight," Eugene Baltimore said. "We've got to play loose and we just got to go out there and play basketball. If we don't, we'll find ourselves down early points-wise. We just got to go out and play with confidence and play hard."

Brentsville can certainly receive momentum from a spirited fan base, which has increased during the postseason.

"The last couple games in districts and regionals, more and more people have shown up," Hopkins said. "Our student section's crazy."