By Ben Sheridan / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
On Friday night, Louisa County’s boys basketball team finished off their week with a rivalry matchup at Fluvanna in a physical clash rooted in familiarity.
“These kids have been playing against each other probably since grade school,” said Louisa coach Robert Shelton. “It was a good win, but take nothing away from Fluvanna, they’re a good team, and they’re going to be good for a while, and we’ll be in a lot more tough games in the future.”
Thanks in large part to Mahlik Munnerlynn pouring in 29 points, Louisa held off the Flucos for an 83-72 victory and stayed unbeaten in Jefferson District play.
The Lions jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back — they were simply firing on all cylinders. It seemed like they had complete control of the game, led by eight points in the quarter from Jarett Hunter, who ended the night with 17 points.
The Lions’ control only intensified in the second quarter, as the lead grew. Throughout the first half, the Lions were able to get what they wanted from the perimeter, knocking down 5 threes as a team. Buck Hunter also went on a tear in the quarter, scoring from everywhere on the floor to get 10 of his 19 points. This effort from the Lions allowed them to take a 19-point lead into the intermission, with the Hunters carrying the load.
However, if there was a game MVP in the contest, it would’ve gone to the junior Munnerlyn, who had a big-time night. He scored 29 points to lead his team, finding buckets from the perimeter and midrange while also throwing down an emphatic one-handed dunk on a second half fastbreak.
“I just stared him down, and I went up for it,” said Munnerlyn on the explosive jam.
He scored nine of his points in the third quarter, helping the Lions maintain their big lead.
“We always knew this was the type of player he could be, he’s been around and played on varsity a few years now,” said Shelton. “He played some big minutes for us in the playoff run, and it was good to see him get it rolling a little bit. He sure did get things rolling, along with Lions, who rolled to victory.”
While they were on the losing side of things, the Flucos did try to mount a late comeback in the fourth. The effort made things closer, led by Kobe Edmonds who had 14 of his 24 points in the quarter.
The Lions move on to play at Albemarle next Tuesday, while the Flucos host Western Albemarle the same night.
