The incredible is quickly becoming routine in the Central Region. A week after Jackie Jenkins led Atlee to a district victory by pitching 20 innings, Prince George’s Lauren Vinson topped that with a 21-inning performance, scoring the winning run in the first game and closing the door in the second as the Royals were crowned region softball champs.

With the humidity rising and the heat lingering, a sticky night of soccer rewarded aggressive play as Mills Godwin and Cosby punched their tickets to the state tournament. They’ll also play each other—for the first time—in tonight’s Central Region title game. Early rainstorms last night created tough conditions early. Each Eagles header made a splash in the small wading pool of sweat that the players had developed on their foreheads.

Mills Godwin’s girls soccer team will soon visit the State Group AAA tournament for the seventh time in as many years. Few of those trips have been as sweet, or as improbable, as the latest. Godwin forward Marie Krider scored off Anne Lumpkin’s corner kick with 2:00 remaining in the first sudden-death overtime to lift the Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Thomas Dale in the second of last night’s Central Region semifinals.

The box scores from Thursday night’s Central Region basketball tournament semifinals point to a telling statistic about the Cosby and Atlee girls. The Raiders (24-3) and Titans (27-1) are scheduled to meet in tonight’s final at 6 at the Siegel Center, but the snowy weather will have something to say about that. Stamina will be a key factor when the game is played. These are teams of ironwomen. Each of Atlee’s starters was credited with playing 32 minutes in the Raiders’ victory over Mills Godwin. Tori Eberle, a senior, played in the waning seconds.

Postseason meetings between the Atlee and L.C. Bird girls basketball teams seem to be something of a ritual. Last year, the Skyhawks, two-time defending Central Region champions, eliminated the Raiders from the region quarterfinals. Last night, with the two teams well-matched, Atlee returned the favor. The Raiders, despite fatigue and three players in foul trouble, relied on the steady hands of Sydney Henderson and Brittany Hill and held off the visiting Skyhawks for a 63-52 victory.

It didn’t come easily, but now Atlee’s Ben DeJarnette has a Central Region team title to go with his individual-events collection. The senior was a prohibitive favorite to claim yesterday’s 3,200 at the Ashe Center—and he didn’t disappoint, breaking the tape in 9:56.6. He would have gone faster if he hadn’t lagged back, urging teammate Andrew Cantanese to keep the faith.

Expectations of a hard-fought, close game are the norm when the Atlee and Henrico girls basketball teams get together. Atlee, ranked No. 5 in the Times-Dispatch Top 10, and seventh-ranked Henrico played last night at Henrico. It was senior night for the Warriors and a chance to cement second place in the Capital District. “It wasn’t what I expected it to be,“ Atlee coach Anna Prillaman said afterward. “To beat them by 30 points was a huge surprise.“

Atlee coach Anna Prillaman has been waiting for senior guard Sydney Henderson to take charge of the team. Last night, Prillaman got her wish, as Henderson led the Raiders to a 64-50 come-from-behind victory over Capital District rival Hanover. Henderson, who scored 26 points - including 15 on 3-pointers - surpassed the 1,000-point milestone and finished the evening with 1,008 career points.

Brittany Hill led the game with 15 points to lead No. 4 Atlee over host Armstrong in a Capital District matchup. Tori Eberle added 8 rebounds for the Raiders. Jasmine Otey had 10 rebounds and four steals to go with her five points for Armstrong. NO. 4 ATLEE 63, ARMSTRONG 8
ATLEE (7-0 Capital, 13-3) Townes 8, Hill 15, Taylor 2, Spiers 5, S. Henderson 0, T. Henderson 9, Price 9, Ashcraft 4, Dandridge 0, Eberle 9, Keys 2. Totals 28 5-7 63.
ARMSTRONG (0-6, 0-11)

Ruthanne Doherty scored 10 second-quarter points and helped key a dominant defensive effort that gave third-ranked L.C. Bird a 43-33 win over sixth-ranked Meadowbrook in last night’s first round of the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament.