Linden run ends with blowout loss in state semi-final round
BIRMINGHAM – Perhaps the greatest run in the history of Linden basketball ended unceremoniously Monday morning with a 75-46 semi-final loss to Phillips at Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The Patriots stumbled out of the gate, committing nine turnovers in the first quarter while also allowing Phillips to dominate on the boards. The Bears pressed their way to a 26-11 advantage and nearly put the game completely out of reach for a Linden squad playing without second leading scorer Tyroneisha Charleston.
“I think it was a major difference. We didn’t have her to help with defense. She’s normally guarding whoever is the better guard. Sometimes she plays that defensive spot. On the boards, we could use her definitely on the boards. She’s quick as a cat,” Linden coach Teressa Bolden said. “It kind of affected us a little bit. We had to make some adjustments in the lineup. We really missed her today.”
Linden would end the game with 27 turnovers while Phillips tallied 25. Yet it was the Bears’ ability to cash in those miscues for points that resulted in the early edge. Phillips also proved adept on the boards, outrebounding the Patriots 46-28 in the contest.
“I don’t think it was what they were doing. I think it was more so us rushing. The press wasn’t that aggressive at the front. They kind of ran to trap once the ball went to the corner,” Bolden said of the way her team responded to the Phillips defense. “Tyroneisha is also the person that had been taking the ball out all season long. We had to change up the person taking out the ball. It kind of threw us off. We worked on it all week, breaking the press. But they played very good defense.”
Linden found the bulk of its offense of the hands of Amber Richardson and Dajia Miller, the senior guard tandem that transferred from a closed John Essex following their eight grade year. After sitting the 2014-2015 season following the transfer, that duo has proven the backbone of a three-year Linden run that included finishes as state runner-up, regional runner-up, and state semifinalist.
“Just going to remember how hard we worked to get here, everything we did,” Miller said of her time at Linden.
“I will remember Teressa Bolden. She was more than a coach to me. She took us under her wing. She just never gave up on us,” Richardson, the 2015 Class 1A Player of the Year and a five-year varsity starter between her time at John Essex and Linden, said with a statement that immediately drew tears from a typically-composed Bolden. “I remember I was not able to play my ninth grade year with her as John Essex gave in. Coming together, they didn’t expect us to make it at all. They thought we were going to play selfish. We made it all the way to state runner-up my 10th grade year and we fell short. My 11th grade year, we had so much ambition to win. We had something to work towards and we fell short. Today, I left it all out on the floor. I had a great run with Coach.”
Richardson poured in 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Linden in her final game. Miller finished with 10 points and five steals.
“Overall, I think we had a great season. We played our butts off and we were thankful to even be in this position,” Bolden said. “A lot of people had already packed their jerseys in. We’re grateful to be here and the opportunity, but it just didn’t work out in our favor this time.”
Alicyn McCollum paced Phillips with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Gracie Hallman added 17 points in the win.