Charlottesville’s girls basketball’s offense can paper over a lot of faults because the Black Knights are so dynamic on that end.
But on Thursday in the Conference 23 championship against Jefferson Forest, it was the Black Knights’ defense that carried the day in a 40-31 victory.
“Our effort and focus, especially on the defensive end, was present right from the start,” said Charlottesville coach Jim Daly. “We did a good job taking away their strengths, and we didn’t let missed shots affect our effort on defense.”
The Black Knights got a lot of help from Zanequa Thomas on that end as her ball pressure led to a couple of big steals and baskets late in the fourth quarter where the Black Knights scored nearly half of their points with a 16-point output. Thomas had six of her eight points in the fourth while Alajiah Ragland scored seven of her team-high 12.
As a team, the Black Knights had 21 steals, with Ragland snagging five of those steals while also picking up nine rebounds.
“Once we got a lead, our seniors did a great job down the stretch of taking care of the ball and making free throws,” Daly said.
Thomas went 4-for-5 at the line in the fourth. Destinee McDonald finished with nine points on the night for Charlottesville.
The Black Knights move on now to the Region 4A West playoffs where they’ll face Freedom-South Riding Monday.
