The Charlottesville High School boys basketball team may not have played its best game of the season on Friday night, but the visitors did the little things right down the stretch to come away with a win over Monticello.
The Black Knights, which held a double-digit lead at the end of the third quarter, withstood the Mustangs’ furious fourth-quarter rally en route to the 54-47 victory.
“We had plenty of opportunities to score more points, but we missed countless layups that could have made a big difference,” Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor said. “Nevertheless, we never stopped playing hard and as a result we got the win, so I’m happy about that.”
Charlottesville (8-3, 6-1) held a 40-29 advantage at the end of the third and appeared to be on the verge of putting the game out of reach.
However, the Mustangs didn’t go quietly, going on an 8-0 tear to start the fourth. Ukari Brooks got a quick steal and converted the layup on the other end to cut the lead to nine. Airrick Salisbury nailed a pull-up jumper on the team’s next possession and Brooks made a nifty move to the basket to trim the lead to five. Bryce McGlothlin added a pair of free throws before Minor called a timeout with 6:06 remaining.
“We had an unfortunate turnover, and they capitalized on that, but we kept our composure,” Minor added.
The Black Knights ended their scoring drought with two free throws from Caleb Gage, but continued to trade baskets with the Mustangs. Monticello came as close as two (48-46) off a Evan Coleman putback, but Jaylen Jackson-Hudson converted a quick layup to extend the lead with 2:16 remaining.
After Charlottesville burned the clock to under a minute, Malik Barbour came up with a steal and was immediately fouled and made one of two free throws to help the Mustangs inch closer.
Brooks intercepted a Charlottesville pass on an inbounds play with 42 seconds left, but was unable to hang on to the ball. The junior led Monticello with 16 points.
The Black Knights, who were near-perfect (8 of 9) from the free-throw line in the final frame, sealed the win with four free throws in the final 23 seconds from Murray Hill and Tyreek Ragland. Charlottesville finished 20 of 26 from the line.
“They know they had a chance, but sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce the way you need it to,” Monticello coach Gary Spry said. “We got [the steal] and if we could have converted, it could have made a world of a difference at that point, but unfortunately you don’t get the things you need in that situation sometimes.”
Gage paced Charlottesville with 16 points while Jackson-Hudson also reached double figures with 13. Ragland added nine points.
Charlottesville visits Albemarle next Friday while Monticello entertains Western Albemarle.
