Jeff Linville | The News
Surry Central’s Courtney Hegler slices into the paint against Mount Airy’s Mikayla Seivers, Symone Simmons (21) and Kathryn Beasley. Hegler led all scorers with 21 points.
Jeff Linville | The News
Central’s Courtney Hegler celebrates her 1,000th career point with her teammates early in the third quarter.
Jeff Linville | The News
Guard Tess Dockery swishes her third three-pointer in the first quarter as Central jumps out to a 16-9 lead.
DOBSON — The Lady Eagles won their quarterfinal game with Mount Airy 55-36 Monday night.
Point guard Tess Dockery, who averages less than five points a game, scored the first two baskets of the game on open three-pointers. She also scored on a drive down the right side of the lane, then hit another three from the left wing to score all 11 points of her points in the first seven minutes of action.
That sparked the Eagles to an 18-13 lead in the first quarter.
Then Surry Central’s defense clamped down on the Lady Bears, allowing only a three-pointer from Andi Moore in a 10-3 run to 28-16. Dana Brown scored to cut the lead to 28-18 at the break.
Mount Airy didn’t score a basket in the third quarter, getting only five points off free throws as the Eagles pushed the lead to 24 points by the end of the period.
A 9-0 run to start the third included a milestone for a senior playing her last home game.
Courtney Hegler reached 1,000 career points with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter. She came into the game with 990 and scored nine points in the first half.
She is the second Eagle to reach 1,000 career points as teammate Cassidy Joyner reached the feat recently.
Junior Sarah Bruce also has an outside chance to reach that plateau next season after scoring more than 500 points the past two seasons and 661 in her career so far.
After those free throws, Hegler also scored four buckets around the basket, and Brittany Lewis and Kristin Key hit mid-range jumpers as the scored reached 47-23 going into the fourth.
Hegler finished with a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four steals.
“She has been a big part of the past four years,” Coach Mandy Holt said of Hegler. “She’s the type of player who does just a little bit of everything.”
Holt added, “It was really good to see her reach 1,000 points because of how unselfish she is.” There have been plenty of times in the past four seasons where Holt has asked Hegler why she passed up a good look.
“Courtney is the first freshman I pulled up to varsity,” added Holt, who has been the head coach for the past five seasons.
In addition to her 11 points, Dockery had four rebounds from the point guard position.
Brittany Lewis scored eight points, grabbed three boards and handed out four assists.
Bruce had six points and six boards as the Eagles made a team effort of hitting the glass. She also had four steals and two assists.
Joyner scored seven and handed out five assists. Key scored two and grabbed three rebounds.
For Mount Airy, the bench scored nearly half the points — 17 of 36 — led by the senior Brown with nine. Jasmine Varney and Moore each hit a three, and Ayano Shelton made two free throws.
For the Bear starters, Mikayla Seivers and Davi Barbour scored six each.
Alex Atkins, who scored 15 points in the first half of Friday’s win over East Surry, had just three points.
Kathryn Beasley scored twice from the field, despite a heavily bandaged right thumb. However, she missed all four free throw attempts, while trying to shoot left-handed.
Unlike the 2/7 and 3/6 winners, the Eagles do get one day to prepare for the semifinals.
Central goes to North Surry Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. game.
Today, Bishop McGuinness takes on Winston-Salem Prep at 6:30 p.m. The winner of this game moves on to the final against the winner of North Surry/Surry Central on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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