Jhalil Mosley was responsible for 10 of his team’s first eleven points. Going into the middle of the third quarter, he and teammate Sam Patterson accounted for 22 of Monticello’s 25 points. Mosley’s slashing style and Patterson’s inside game were the only reason the Mustangs were in the game in the first quarters. They got the help they needed in the fourth. Denzel Terry exploded for the visitors, scoring 10 of his 13 in the contest and spear heading a 25-point final frame to lead Monticello to a big 58-43 win over Charlottesville to secure a tie for second place in the Jefferson District.
“We’ve been plugging away all year with consistency and playing hard and playing together” said Mustangs coach Reggie Shelton. “I think the guys got a little taste of what can happen when they do those three things. That’s a testament to the guys. I didn’t do anything different, they just made it happen tonight.”
Outside of shots from Mosley and Black Knights forwards Deshaun Blakey and Dauqan Jones, little fell in the basket for either squad. Charlottesville took a 13-6 lead after the first quarter and Monticello rode Mosley and Patterson to even it up at 18 going into halftime.
In the third, the Mustangs looked poised for a big run, taking a 6-point lead, but a duo of missed layups allowed the Black Knights to comeback as they scored seven of the next nine points to make it a 1-point game headed into the fourth.
After a tough night shooting for the first three quarters, Terry went off and his team responded as they first claimed an early five point lead, and then went up by 11 midway through the fourth.
“We needed everyone to step up tonight and (Terry) did,” Mosley said. “It’s just good to have those kind of people around you, to have them step and play ball.”
Charltottesville’s Rickquan Jones stopped the bleeding by making a 9-point deficit, but his team stuggled to get any closer as the game turned into a track meet and Terry thrived with Mosley and Patterson still commanding the brunt of Charlottesville’s defensive efforts.
With the Black Knights unable to get anything going offensively, the Mustangs finished out the last two minutes of play with a double-digit lead and capped off the win.
“We’ve played well the last couple of games, but I don’t think we had that same intensity all game here tonight,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “And then on top of that, we didn’t shoot well from the perimeter and we missed way too many layups. We’ve got to correct the layups. If you don’t make those, it takes a lot out of you.”
Mosley led all scorers with a 24-point night, went 8 for 8 at the free line and added five rebounds and four assists.
“All week I practiced on the mid-range jump shot,” Mosley said. “People have been backing off me, saying I can’t shoot, so I had to prove them wrong.”
Terry scored 13 while Patterson added 12.
For Charlottesville, Blakey led the way with 13 points. Damarcus Scott’s fourth quarter effort gave him nine points. Daquan Jones and Rickquan Jones each finished with seven points.
Monticello (8-7, 3-2) plays Fuquaier County today at 7:30 p.m.
Charlottesville (9-5, 2-3) looks to rebound against first place Fluvanna County on the road Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
