The second-seeded Wildcats (19-12) trailed just 36-32 at the half and were nip-and-tuck with the top-ranked Wolverines (27-3) until the closing minutes of the third quarter before turnovers derailed VR’s upset bid.
“We had about five or six straight turnovers that they scored on. So it was a six-point game before that and then by the end of the third and start of the fourth, it was a 15-point game and then you’re playing from behind from that point on,” Robinson said.
VR forced 15 Miller Grove turnovers with its full-court pressure, but committed 26 itself.
“Early on, our pressure was effective. But as the game went on, they turned up the pressure a little bit and we forced the envelope on some things offensively and kind of created our own turnovers after the little spurt that they had made to close out the third period,” Robinson said.
And even though things got away from his squad during the fourth quarter, Robinson said his team gave everything it had and showed no fear against the Georgia hoops giant.
“They’re a good basketball team — there’s no doubt about that. Anybody that keeps up with high school basketball knows who Miller Grove is. But with that being said, I’m proud of how my guys played. Looking at their eyes and looking at them in the face at halftime, our guys felt like they had a great opportunity to beat a very good basketball team,” Robinson said.
The loss ends the career of four VR seniors — T.J. Davis, Delano Mims, Kelvin Bonds and Xavier Hughes.
“They’ve continued to raise the bar and push the program in the right direction. They’re passing the baton on. We’ve got a large group of juniors coming back. We’ve got eight or nine juniors coming back, and it’ll be their time to lead this program,” Robinson said.
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