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Albemarle girls claw past Louisa County

Photo by Bart Isley

Without a ton of offensive firepower at their disposal, Albemarle’s girls basketball team knows it is going to have to scrap and claw its way to every win.

 

They’re going to have to fight for every loose ball, every rebound. It has to be a part of their DNA.

 

That effort was on full display in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s 48-41 victory over Louisa County that kept the Patriots at the top of the Jefferson District standings, tied with Charlottesville.

 

“Our mindset became defense first and we were able to get those turnovers in the third quarter and convert them into points,” said Albemarle’s Anne Ridenhour. “That was big for our momentum and it obviously showed on the scoreboard.”

 

The Patriots trailed 18-16 at the break thanks in large part to a 2-point first quarter and fell into a deeper hole to start the third after a pair of baskets from Louisa’s Tyi Skinner opened the scoring out of the break. But Albemarle settled in there, eventually taking a 28-27 lead that they refused to relinquish down the stretch despite both Ridenhour, Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper and Haylee Howard-Radde playing with four fouls for nearly the entire fourth quarter.

 

“We have to adjust by letting other plays guard their quicker guards and being able to help,” Ridenhour said. “That becomes our major job. As seniors, I think we’ve learned over the last three and a half years to be smart because we know we have to be in there in the game for our team.”

 

That trio’s ability to play smart down the stretch and not foul out while still playing stingy defense was critical to the win as Louisa can score in bunches when the Lions get going.

 

“They played very smart for the last six minutes, absolutely,” said Albemarle coach Rachel Proudfoot.

 

Louisa, meanwhile, simply couldn’t get over the hump, surrendering a lot of second chance point as the Patriots cleaned up on the offensive boards in the second half.

 

“We stopped doing the little things, we stopped moving the ball, we stopped getting out in transition and we gave them way too many second chance opportunities,” said Louisa coach Nick Schreck. “When you’re going against a team like Albemarle, they don’t stop, they keep coming at you, they fight for every loose ball and every rebound. We let that slip a little bit.”

 

Skinner led the Lions and all scorers with 19 points on the night. DaNikqua Marshall finished with 11 points for the Lions.

 

Tyler-Cooper had 14 to set the pace for the Patriots with Howard-Radde and Ridenhour scoring nine each. All nine of Howard-Radde’s came on a trio of 3-pointers in the second half, including one at the buzzer to end the third quarter. Hannah Eiden chipped in six second half points.

 

The win was a strong bounce back effort for the Patriots after losing to Western Albemarle in a rivalry clash Friday.

 

“We came back from a pretty tough loss to Western and they have given their absolute all the last two days of practice,” Proudfoot said. “I think that was a catalyst or something for them, they dug deep inside.”

 

The win sets up a critical clash with Charlottesville Friday for sole possession of first place after the Black Knights beat Orange County Tuesday and Western Albemarle fell to Fluvanna County.

 

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