By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
But for a four-minute stretch to start the second quarter, Albemarle’s tandem of sophomore forwards dominated on both ends of the court in a meeting of cross-county Jefferson District rivals. With 30 points and no fewer than 10 blocks between them, Austin Katstra and Jake Hahn led a 62-30 shellacking of homestanding Monticello.
“Our guards were working real hard on their guards because they’re pretty good penetrators,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “If they did get by us, then we had Jake, especially tonight because he was guarding their big man so he was always inside, and Austin. It was good to see them be in good help position and get a lot of nice blocks in there.”
With Monticello employing a 2-3, Hahn twice worked into an opening in the left corner and knocked down long jumpers, the second good for three to open an 11-6 lead as the final seconds ticked off to end the first quarter.
“We had to adjust against the zone and those were the shots we were getting, so I just was confident,” said Hahn, who poured in a game-high 13 points in the first half.
The Mustangs bounced back to start the second with senior guard Robbie Deane draining a three and the big men (Brooks, McGlothlin, and Breckenridge) scoring inside as part of a 9-0 run that forced an AHS timeout as the Patriots fell behind 15-11 with 4:01 left in the half.
“They got a couple of easy shots on us,” said Maynard. “I got on them about not playing good defense, and then moving the ball better [on offense]. We were just relying on the outside shot, and we weren’t making those in that first quarter and a half. It was good Jake got hot, and we also got the ball inside a couple times.”
Katstra and Hahn led the way as the Patriots countered with a 15-2 response rally over the remainder of the quarter. Hahn’s third three, this one from the left wing that just beat the buzzer, sent Albemarle into the locker room with a 26-17 lead.
“The one going into halftime hurt,” said Monticello coach Robert Shelton. “I thought we had the play stopped and covered, and next thing you know the ball ends up in number 41’s hands and he makes the three. That’s disheartening for our kids.”
Monticello’s offensive struggles continued in the third quarter, as Albemarle doubled them up 14-7 behind nine from Katstra, including a trey of his own.
“I think we were confident [in the locker room] that we could make some changes, and we just didn’t do it in the second half,” Shelton said. “One play doesn’t define a game, but a series of plays does, and we’ve got to do a better job of responding to other teams’ runs.”
The Patriots slammed the door in the fourth, as players entered from the bench but the scoring did not subside. Junior guard Grant Kersey tallied nine to lead the way.
Katstra led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Hahn’s 13 and game-high eight blocks. Senior guard Juwan Carter added nine points. For Monticello, senior center Rashad Brooks led with eight points. Breckenridge had five, and three players tied with four.
Albemarle (14-4) heads to Powhatan on Tuesday night, while Monticello (5-11) hosts Fluvanna.
