The timing couldn’t be much better. And with just a little over a week before the post season begins, the Fluvanna County boys basketball team has something. Behind a balanced offensive attack led by a 25-point performance from sophomore YaYa Anderson, the Flyin’ Flucos were able to follow up Tuesday’s big win at home against Charlottesville with a road victory against Orange County, 61-51.
“I thought we played tough because we couldn’t shoot worth a poot in the first half,” said Fluvanna coach Monroe Rateau. “I told the kids at the half that we were lucky to be down only four points, it probably should have been 20. They said ‘Okay. Well, we’ll come back and win this game,’ and they did.”
It was a neck-and-neck game for the thirst three and a half quarters, but the Flucos – up by three points at the time − put together a 9-1 run in the fourth quarter to give themselves a double-digit lead, something that they would hold on to go for good.
The run started on what looked like was going to be a swing of momentum for the Hornets.
Orange forced a turnover with four minutes to play, but botched a dunk on a fast break and the ball was kicked out to Anderson who turned it into two points for Fluvanna to pad their lead. Orange missed a pair of 3-pointers on their next two times down the court, and Flucos collected both rebounds and turned the two possessions into four points on layups from Zach Miller and Anderson to go up by 11 and seal the win.
The Hornets found early success despite putting Fluvanna in the bonus in the first quarter. Josh Pugh, Jamal Hunter and Tres Winkler had no trouble hitting their shots for Orange in the first half, but couldn’t establish the same rhythym in the third or fourth frames that gave them an 8-point lead late in the second quarter.
“I thought we came out flat in the second half,” said Hornets coach Keyode Rogers. “I was trying to get our guys to attack the basket a little more because the shots were falling for us in the first half, but everyone knows, shots go in and then shots go out.”
Pugh led Orange in scoring with 16 points while Hunter chipped in 12 and Winkler tallied eight. Winkler was also the only Hornet to grab more than five rebounds.
Fluvanna guards Cameron Coles and YaYa Anderson each reached double figures in scoring, but also had big nights on the glass, combining for 18 rebounds.
“Everyone has got to rebound,” Coles said. “If everyone does that, it’s easy points and we’ve got a great shot to be victorious at the end.”
Coles had a game high 10 boards to go with his 11 points. Miller was the second leading scorer for Fluvanna with 17 points.
Fluvanna’s game with Charlottesville that was scheduled for today has been postponed because of weather until next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Flucos (10-7, 7-3 Jefferson) travel to Monticello on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Orange (7-12, 4-7) heads to Western Albemarle also on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
