By Meryem Karard/Scrimmageplay.com Contributor
Albemarle may be inexperienced and doesn’t boast a lot of size, but for a night the Patriots made that work to their advantage and picked up a big-time season opening win over an archrival in the process.
Albemarle stunned Western Albemarle at home Wednesday with a 63-58 victory in Crozet. Although a physically aggressive and intense contest, Albemarle never played from behind, and with the help of junior guard Mayn Francisco’s clutch free throw shooting, was able to retain the lead in what proved to be an exhilarating second half.
At the half, Western found itself trailing by 10 and in foul trouble after committing 12 before the break.
“The correct team won tonight. They played harder, made better plays, put pressure on us and got us out of sync and slowed us down. We were not able to function or run any of our plays accurately,” said Western coach Darren Maynard.
Western seemed to have found the answer in the beginning of the second half, tightening the score to 31-34 with 3:13 left in the third period after a conversion from Christian Pierce. Albemarle quickly called timeout to quiet the Warriors’ newfound momentum.
“We had a disappointing first half and we knew if we didn’t regroup, it wouldn’t even have a shot at it being a close game,” Pierce said.
Despite Pierce’s explosive 11 points prior to the timeout, Western never gained an advantage, as Francisco continued to knock down free throws to the tune of a 13-for-14 night at the charity stripe. He finished with 16 total points to lead Albemarle.
“I felt really relaxed and comfortable at the free throw line. In my opinion the game tempo was calm. We played as a team and kept it compact,” Francisco said.
Although Francisco’s free throw shooting put the final nail in Western coffin, the Warriors did not give up easily. With 23.4 seconds left on the game clock, they closed in on the Patriots 55-51 but an Albemarle timeout once again turned things. Again with 4.0 sec left, Western brought the score to 61-58, but yet again couldn’t get over the hump.
“We came together and were able to hold the ball in the second half. We stayed poised. [My mentality] was to just get the ball. I knew every extra possession would count,” said Albemarle guard Daiquan West, who made his presence felt on the defensive end.
The Patriots frustrated Western in every facet of the game, whether it was aggressively forcing missed opportunities offensively, snatching the advantage on rebounds, or simply out-hustling the Warriors.
“We ran out of gas. When you dig yourself in that big of a hole, you can’t get yourself out,” head coach Darren Maynard said.
Outside of Pierce, the Warriors struggled to find offense, with Albemarle clamping down on Donte Crawford and Travis Hester.
“We don’t have the star players Western has,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “What we lack in size and strength, but we made up for it in heart. The dynamic of our team this year is really based on trying to balance everyone and find the key chemistry. It makes us as hard to team to scout because we rely on everyone.”
