Richard Washington isn’t Charlottesville’s flashiest player, but you know things are going right for the Black Knights when the junior defensive stopper is able to contribute a little on the offensive end.
Washington knocked in six points in the first half, but, as it usually does, his work on the other end carried the day. Washington played solid defense for CHS during critical stretches to help the Black Knights slip past Kettle Run 74-61. A late steal by Washington squashed any remaining hopes of a comeback for the Cougars in the Region II, Division 3 semifinal.
“I kept him for that reason,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “He’s not really a great scorer—he does the little things well like lay-ups and 10-12 foot shots—but I mainly kept him for his defensive pressure and his effort on that end.”
The senior played a crucial defensive role against Connor Massei, Kettle Run’s crafty senior guard who finished with 23 points to lead the Cougars. Washington made Massei work for everything he got and allowed Maurice Jackson, who also checked Massei, to catch a breather for short spells. That led to an impressive performance by Jackson on the offensive end — 26 points including a trio of 3-pointers.
“He helps out a lot, he takes the toughest man and let’s me get legs under me so I can play some offense,” Jackson said. “I love having Richard on my team.”
Massei, who Charlottesville didn’t know a whole lot about coming into the game, earned Washington’s respect in the process.
“He’s one of the best guards I’ve ever played defense against,” Washington said. “I really didn’t know how good he was until he started shooting the ball.”
The Black Knights jumped out to a 23-9 lead late in the first quarter, powered by a 16-2 run that Daquan Jones capped with a pair of putbacks. But Kettle Run didn’t go away quietly, cutting the lead just seven points by halftime. That was about as close as the Cougars got though, with a combination of Jackson’s and Jones’ scoring answering every Kettle Run spurt.
“That was the difference in the game early—we missed some shots and (Jones) got some stickbacks and put it up which is great and it gave us our lead,” said CHS coach Mitch Minor. “When we missed he did a great job of getting the rebound and putting the ball in the hole.”
Jones finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. His classmate, sophomore Rickquan Jones, finished with eight while Devin Turner chipped in six.
Charlottesville advances to face Western Albemarle in the regional final.
