Panic never truly set in, but Albemarle probably would have liked it a bit more if they didn’t have to sweat it out late against an explosive Charlottesville team. The Patriots looked like they were going to have their way with the Black Knights after the first half, but a defensive shift that created a slew of turnovers allowed Charlottesville to make it interesting in the second half. Its home court has been kind to Albemarle all year though, and thanks to some late layups and free throw shooting, it stayed that way as the Patriots held on for a 53-47 win.
“When teams switch defenses we haven’t adjusted all,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “We start throwing too long of passes and get them deflected and things — we just weren’t smooth. Fortunately, they were turning it right back over to us so they didn’t cash in they way they could have. Then we were able to hit enough free throws to hang on.”
The Patriots pulled the rug out from underneath the Black Knights’ feet to start the game, going on a 15-2 run to open the game with Andrew Mann and Kendall Hawkins finishing in transition or with mid-range shots. Conversely, Charlottesville was struggling to finish shot after shot underneath, but finally got some offense in the second quarter to make it an eight-point game going into the break.
“It looked like we were just tired,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “It’s tough to get pressed all game after you had the same thing happen the night before. But we hung in there.”
The Black Knights trap and zone defense was effective in the second half, and it wasn’t long before Devin Turner, Daquan Jones and Dashaun Blakey were able to make it a 3-point contest. But every time that Charlottesville was able to make it a one possession game, someone for Albemarle answered back. Whether it was Mann, Hawkins, Michael Ledford, Jeremiah Morris or Joe Burris, the Patriots found a way to stay out in front.
“We got some big time scores there or hit our free throws to keep our distance,” Maynard said. “That was something we couldn’t get in our last game against Colonial Forge, so that was good to see.”
With three minutes to play in the fourth, Mann’s ability to go from one end of the court to the other wound up putting his team up by eight. Turner made it made it a 4-point game with 18.3 seconds left, and a Richard Washington free throw seconds later brought Charlottesville to within 3-point again. But Albemarle went to the free throw line to end the night and hit on three of their last four attempts to close the door for good.
Hawkins wound up leading all scorers with 18 points, and for the second time in three games, was crucial in finishing underneath while Mann and the Patriots tried to break the trap.
“We definitely felt the pressure from them all game,” Mann said. “Teams look for me when they trap and Kendall’s a really good player, one of my best friends on the court, so I like to find him when I get pressured.”
Mann socred 14 points and had nine rebounds and had a trio of assists and steals. Morris, Jake Hendrix and Lee Carneal each had five points.
For Charlottesville, Turner finished with 14 points. Blakey and Jones scored nine and eight points respectively. The two also had a solid game rebounding with Jones tallying a game high 11 rebounds while Blakey was close behind with nine.
But the story of the game for the Black Knights was the turnovers and handful of routine layups that went awry.
“We just didn’t have the intensity we needed,” Minor said. “If we had a few less turnovers and made a few more layups, that’s a better game.”
The Black Knights (7-4) head to Louisa County on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Albemarle (10-4) plays its fourth game in seven days when they head to North Stafford on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
