Albemarle’s girls basketball team got a dose of its own medicine against Mount Vernon Tuesday night in the Region 5A North quarterfinals.
“We didn’t get a chance to see a lot of press this year — we did the pressing,” said Albemarle coach Rachel Proudfoot. “I take the blame for us not really pressing each other more in practice and being able to be composed.”
Mount Vernon pressed and trapped the Patriots relentlessly, creating numerous turnovers that helped spark the Majors to an 88-68 victory over Albemarle that ends the Patriots’ season.
Albemarle couldn’t slow down Christopher Newport-bound forward Samantha Porter. The senior forward finished with 33 points including 11 of them in the fourth quarter as Mount Vernon closed out Albemarle. D.J. JeanPierre notched 16 for the Majors and Jasmine Collier had 11. Chanel Shannon did her damage from beyond the arc with five 3-pointers that made up the bulk of her 16-point outing.
“We had some good composed moments but it through us off on our halfcourt offense,” Proudfoot said. “(Mount Vernon’s) girls were super athletic and they worked really well as a team.”
The Majors jumped out to a 22-13 lead in the first quarter and Albemarle couldn’t erase that early deficit as Mount Vernon kept the pressure up and created a slew of transition baskets.
Samira Hussaini finished with 23 points on the night while KK Barbour chipped in with 17 for the Patriots, but turnovers ultimately sunk the Patriots on offense as Mount Vernon executed to near perfection.
Mount Vernon’s win continues a solid start to the 5A North tournament for the Majors, who were forced into a first round road trip against Tuscarora after losing to Edison, considered one of the favorites to win a 5A state title, in the Conference 13 finals.
The loss cuts short an Albemarle season that was a major step forward for the program in Proudfoot’s second year. The Patriots won the first ever Conference 16 title in dramatic fashion against Patrick Henry-Ashland and KK Barbour continued her emergence as one of the area’s top talents while breaking 1,000 points in her career. Seniors Alexus Anderson, Felicia Garrison and Hussaini wrapped up their careers with the loss, but Proudfoot pointed to the incredible impact they’ve had on the program’s direction.
“I wish I could’ve had them two years but you can’t go back I guess,” Proudfoot said. “We’re going to miss them dearly. They started a legacy of how to play the game right and to focus on character and hard work and playing together. I’m very proud of each one of them.”
