Derica Wiggins lifts Oakhaven into region final against Manassas

from CommercialAppeal.com


In the waning moments of the third quarter Monday night, Oakhaven point guard Derica Wiggins pulled down a rebound off a miss by Douglass’ Angela Hardy, drove the length of the floor, then converted a layup, prompting a fan who sat a couple of rows behind the Lady Hawks’ bench to scream in a mostly quiet gymnasium, “That girl is playing!”

Wiggins’ postseason coming-out-party helped the Lady Hawks prevail 62-52 over Douglass in the semifinals of the Region 8-AA girls basketball tournament played at Mitchell High’s Andre Turner Arena.

The 5-10 Wiggins turned in what she described as her best performance as a high school player. She scored 21 of game-best 30 points in the second half, as the Lady Hawks advanced to Wednesday’s region championship game against Manassas.

The Lady Tigers earned their 16th consecutive win by knocking off Fairley, 83-59, in the earlier semifinal game.

Wiggins was virtually unstoppable in directing the Lady Hawks’ offense, scoring in transition, scrambling for loose balls, and getting her teammates involved. She was especially brilliant in a pivotal third quarter in which she scored 13 points for the Lady Hawks (18-11) and helped Oakhaven take a 49-37 advantage into the fourth.

Even in the wake of her career night, Wiggins was quick to applaud her teammates in helping her effectively run the offense.

“I mean, I couldn’t do without my teammates,” said Wiggins. “This is just the beginning. We’re all young.”

Oakhaven coach Aaron Stapleton said Wiggins finally is starting to reap the benefits of the hard work she exhibited in the offseason.

“She played like she didn’t want to go home,” Stapleton said of Wiggins.

In the first Region 8-AA semifinal, Fairley coach Dexter Bryant said before Monday’s game he expects his team to be more competitive against a bigger Manassas squad that beat the Lady Bulldogs by 33 points in early December.

The Lady Bulldogs exhibited intensity and poise early on, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. However, the Lady Tigers’ athleticism and stifling full court was too much, as Manassas (29-3) wore down Fairley in the second and earned their third consecutive trip to the region final.

Tiffany Jones had a team-high 21 points, Phikala Anthony scored 18, and Jamie Bond added 10 points to go along with eight blocks for the Lady Tigers. Arkela Ware-Jones’ 27 points led Fairley (14-15).