In the second half, C.J. Jackson and Abby Hendrix got things going in a big way for Albemarle’s girls basketball team, and with Charlottesville struggling mightily at the free throw line, that was enough for the Patriots as they rolled 47-36 over the Black Knights.
Jackson poured in 20 points and created a lot of offense with five steals on the defensive end.
“We spread our offense and once we did that I was going to see who could matchup with C.J.,” said Albemarle coach Anita Jenkins. “And we hung in there and did what we needed to do.”
Hendrix knocked in 12 points of her own and hauled in nine rebounds, crashing the glass from the outside on nearly every shooting attempt on both ends. Hendrix helped offset Charlottesville’s tremendous advantage in the post with Sydney Calloway and London Todd manning the block. That tandem combined for 21 rebounds, with Todd pulling down 13 to go with her 14 points while Calloway barely missed a double double with 11 points and nine boards.
“Both played really well, I was just hoping they’d finish a little more,” Charlottesville coach Deanna Mitchelson.
The Black Knights struggled to finish at the charity stripe, going 18-for-34 at the free throw line.
Still, the Black Knights hung with Albemarle and even led 19-17 at the break, but tht changed in he second half as Jackson and Hendrix relentlessly attacked the basket and Kya Francisco kept the pressure off with eight points that forced the Black Knights to keep an eye on her.
“They’re quick and when we tried to go zone (to slow them down) we weren’t rotating properly,” Mitchelson said.
