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Early Run: Western girls power past Monticello

Western Albemarle’s girls basketball team needed a second versatile guard going into this season, someone to share the load with Elisabeth Coffman and someone who could give them an added dimension in the backcourt.

 

Second-year varsity player Ellie Plantz has given them exactly that.

 

“I think I’ve really improved a lot since last year, I’ve gotten more comfortable,” Plantz said. “I think my teammates have helped me and I’ve learned from them.”

 

Friday against Monticello she keyed a critical first half run while scoring 14 points and playing turnover-free basketball en route to a 54-42 win over the Mustangs. That run created all the separation the Warriors needed to hold off Monticello in the second half.

 

“Right now we can really rely on her to do pretty much whatever we need,” said Western Albemarle coach Kris Wright. “When we made that run in the first half, Ellie was the one running everything. She made some good decisions, had an assist to (Anna) O’Shea and made some lay-ups. It’s sneaky but she does a lot of things really well.”

 

Plantz’ ability to run the point or play off the ball allows Western to shift around Coffman, who scored 15 points and dished out six assists against the Mustangs, and take advantage of matchups, making them a little tougher to handle offensively than they’ve been in recent years. She also adds another confident, fearless shooter to the mix — she was 6-for-11 from the field in the win.

 

That helped Friday as the Warriors faced off against a Monticello team that has surprised some squads lately, including a Fluvanna County team that beat the Warriors earlier this season. The Mustangs got a sterling performance from Hannah Shifflett, a JMU softball signee, who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and blocking three shots.

 

“The crazy thing is she’s gotten taller, she’s been growing since the eighth grade,” said Monticello coach Juwanna Smith. “She’s gotten taller, a whole lot better and a whole lot quicker.”

 

Monticello couldn’t close the gap down on the Warriors though, partially a product of the Warriors taking care of the ball the entire game. Western committed just four turnovers.

 

“Western can shoot, they made a whole lot more shots than we did and they can finish,” Smith said. “We just couldn’t follow with that same energy and we couldn’t quite get over that hump.”

 

With Plantz and Coffman able to handle the ball, the Warriors are starting to develop an aptitude for closing out games, which has occasionally been a problem.

 

“We know how to hold on to a lead so if we do what we’re supposed to, we can execute down the stretch and win the game,” Wright said. “I would’ve liked to create more separation because Monticello kept battling and we knew they would.”

 

Sydney Sherman pulled down seven rebounds and scored six points for the Warriors while Anna O’Shea knocked down three 3-pointers for nine points on 3-for-5 shooting beyond the arc. Coffman chipped in three steals for the Warriors.

 

Saryiah Hughes had nine points and five rebounds for the Mustangs. Camille Blaine had eight points while Dasha Kinlaw scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.

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