Fluvanna County’s boys’ basketball team did something Saturday afternoon no member of the team could ever remember happening before in Fluvanna.
The Flucos defeated Charlottesville 64-59 in front of a sold out crowd for the Region II, Division 3 Championship.
The Flucos won their region for the first time since the winter of 1992, a year before the FCHS senior class was born.
YaYa Anderson led Fluvanna with 27 points while Jamal Tolliver chipped in 14 points. Charlottesville got 16 points from Devin Turner while Dashaun Blakey finished with 15 points. Daquan Jones ended the afternoon with 12 points.
Neither team could get a run going early in the game. FCHS was able to grab a 27-22 lead towards the end of the first half. That lead stayed intact until late in the third.
Turner hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to knot it at 44. The Flucos controlled almost the entire final quarter but the Charlottesville defense never let them run away with it. Late free throws and defensive stops brought the trophy to Fluvanna for the first time in 19 years.
“Two great basketball teams played hard the whole game. We’re just lucky enough to make plays down the stretch,” said Fluco head coach Munro Rateau.
Neither team held a lead larger than five points the entire game. The lead switched hands seven times and was tied 13 times. There were seven ties in the final 10 minutes alone.
Charlottesville head coach Mitch Minor said, “I’m proud of what the kids have accomplished thus far. They left it on the court, that’s all you can ask for.”
This was the third meeting this season between Fluvanna and Charlottesville. FCHS won the first one by 19 but the last two games were decided by a combined six points.
“They have great athletes all around. You just got to come out and play them hard all the time. You can’t have lapses — 30 seconds of the game. That’s when they can get out and run,” said Anderson.
This was the fourth team Fluvanna has defeated three times this season. The other three were Spotsylvania, William Monroe and Western Albemarle.
Next up for the Flucos is Culpeper. The game will be played at the James Madison University Convocation Center in Harrisonburg.
“We’ve got to come into practice and work hard because states is no joke,” said Anderson.
Charlottesville will next play top-ranked Brunswick. The Bulldogs have been the state tournament runners up four straight years. The game will be played at the Virginia Commonwealth University Seigel Center.
“We got to put this behind us and get ready to play Brunswick. This team’s been blessed, can’t complain about accomplishing what we’ve done thus far,” said Minor.
The Black Knights started the game with inside presences of Daquan Jones and Blakey getting many opportunities at the post. Turner was able to take over the offensive game scoring 14 in the second half.
