By Ben Sheridan / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
In an uncommon Saturday matchup, the Fluvanna girls basketball team hosted Madison County in what proved to be a good early test for both teams.
Fluvanna was able to find a way to overcome a fourth quarter deficit after taking a lead into the half, surging down the stretch to pull away for a 58-53 victory.
“All credit goes to Madison, we knew they were physical, we knew they were going to beat and bang, but credit to our kids too, they continued to fight,” said Fluvanna assistant coach Nick Ward who filled in for head coach Chad White who was absent due to a family obligation. “We knew we had to stay focused, we had some shots that weren’t falling, and in the third quarter we lost some patience and we took some crazy shots, but then we calmed back down in the fourth.”
In the first quarter, the Flucos took control quickly, leading to a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The Mountaineers eventually turned things around, getting some good shots up and playing strong defense to not let the game get out of hand from the start, instead heading into the second quarter with the Flucos up 13-10.
The Flucos’ perimeter game made the difference in the second quarter. They wound up scoring nine of their 16 points off of 3-pointers. Fluvanna also played well on the defensive end, as only six of Madison’s 13 points came off of shots from the field. For Madison, the rest of their points came from quality free-throw shooting, as they went 7-for-10 at the line in the quarter. Leading the Mountaineer effort from the field and the line was McKayla Arrington, who had 7 of her 13 points in the quarter.
Fluvanna took a 29-23 lead to the break, and it seemed like they had a pretty good grasp on the game, and one would think with their “own the third quarter” philosophy that they would do exactly that. This was not the case in this one.
The third quarter started, and the Mountaineers were able to get everything going offensively and defensively, taking the quarter by a score of 19-10. Leading the charge for Madison was Sterlyn Woodward, who had 8 of her 11 points in the quarter.
The third quarter surge gave Madison a 42-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and the Flucos knew things needed to change. Fluvanna settled down, as the Flucos seemed to make big play after big play down the stretch. One of the leaders of the comeback was Navaeh Ivory, who created turnovers defensively while pouring in 7 of her 22 points in the quarter. The rally led to a 10-0 run and the Flucos would stay in front the rest of the way, led by clutch foul shooting in closing minutes from players like Abby Seal.
With the win, the Flucos start 3-0 after a busy three-game opening week, and the Flucos get some needed rest over the next couple of days.
“We’ve got to go three games again next, we’re on the road two of the three next week and we open up district play with Louisa, so we’re use tomorrow to rest up and get ready to be back in the gym Monday,” Ward said.
