More than many other local programs the last two years, Fluvanna County has had a laser-like focus on being ready for the postseason.
“When the conference (setup) started I told them we just want to get better every game and be ready for conference play,” said Fluvanna coach Chad White.
Mission accomplished. For the third-straight year, the Flucos are headed to the region tournament, earning a Region 4A North berth with an upset 44-33 victory over No. 2-seeded John Handley in the Conference 23 semifinal.
The Flucos’ defense locked down the Judges in the third quarter, holding them to two points on a single field goal. The Flucos scored 16 points during that frame, flipping a seven-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter.
“Everything for us is predicated on defense so we can hopefully turn them over, get in transition and get easy lay-ups,” White said. “It gets us going when we play defense.”
Handley actually appeared set to rally when they pulled back within three in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Morgan Symmers buried a big 3-pointer to push the Flucos lead to 32-26.
“She’s one of our best perimeter shooters and the thing with Morgan is that she has so much intestinal fortitude it’s just crazy,” White said. “She hit two big ones for us.”
That opened the door for the Flucos to employ some old school delay game offense as they ran a version of the Dean Smith classic Four Corners, taking big chunks of time off the clock before getting a bucket or drawing a foul from Handley. Kiana Childress went 10-for-14 from the line during the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Childress finished with 23 points to lead the Flucos while Bri Harris and Symmers each had six points.
Mariah Smith led the Judges with 14 points while Angelica Robinson finished with 10 on the night. The loss ends the Judges’ season.
Fluvanna will play Charlottesville Tuesday night in the Conference 23 championship game before turning its attention to the Region 4A North tournament.
