Anyone that has attended an Albemarle girls’ basketball game over the years will recall hearing AHS head coach Rachel Proudfoot shouting “Piranha!” throughout the contest.
“Piranha” is the signature full-court press that the Patriots have become known for since Proudfoot arrived at Albemarle. The in-your-face pressure often rattles opponents, but the Patriots have looked different on defense so far this winter.
The lack of practice time and a packed week of games has forced Proudfoot to dial back the intensity to start the 2020-21 season. But in Saturday afternoon’s clash with Orange County, AHS went back to its bread and butter.
The Patriots, behind that stifling defense, limited the Hornets to six made-field goals and cruised to a 59-34 win.
The victory marked Albemarle’s fourth game in five days.
Albemarle (3-2) gave up a bucket on Orange’s first possession, but it did not allow another one until the 5:30 mark of the second quarter.
The Patriots’ high-shooting percentage led to a number of press opportunities, which made for a long afternoon for the Hornets. The Parana defense appeared to be in midseason form, despite the limited time that the team has spent together prior to the start of the winter.
“We threw two defenses in tonight that we hadn’t ran or practiced yet this season,” Proudfoot said. “I’m impressed with [her team’s] coachability. Sometimes you learn that in practices and not in games, but I’ve been impressed with it.”
The Patriots raced out to a 21-17 advantage after eight minutes of play and led by as many as 22 points in the second quarter. Albemarle capitalized on a host of Orange turnovers to create fast break opportunities early on, but also utilized the long ball.
Four different Patriots accounted for the team’s six three-point field goals, with Amaya Pendleton and Kaley Maynard each knocking down two.
The game did not feature any spectators, but the Albemarle bench provided plenty of noise in the building when reserve guard Kalli Davis hit a triple in the second half. Maynard tallied nine of her 14 points in the first quarter.
Less than 24 hours after dropping 27 points on district-leading Louisa, Pendleton led all scorers with 19 points on Saturday. Pendleton has been on a tear so far this season, averaging 21 points per contest. With several key departures in the offseason, Proudfoot knew that she would have to rely heavily on Pendleton this winter, and so far, the junior guard has delivered.
“She leads by her competitiveness and by her actions,” Proudfoot said. “She’s not the most verbal leader but she’s like, ‘I’m here to do whatever I can to help the team out’ and she really responds well.”
Sophomore guard Maggie Lynn chipped in nine points for AHS.
Orange County’s Riley Harrington scored a floater on the Hornets’ first possession, and later broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of free throws. The visitors played their best basketball of the afternoon towards the end of the second quarter.
A jumper by Jenni Pugh put an end to a 19-2 Albemarle run. Then, sophomore Olivia Sciabbarrasi registered a three-point play, and followed it up with two more foul shots as a part of a 9-0 Orange County run. Saturday’s contest marked the end of a grueling week for both teams, who played four games in five days.
The Patriots began the stretch with a narrow loss to Western Albemarle on Tuesday before gaining a measure of revenge on Wednesday against the Monticello squad that beat them back in the Pats’ season opener. Albemarle dropped a tough one against Louisa on Friday, but responded with the impressive win over Orange.
Jam-packed weeks will be a hallmark of the abridged season, but the Patriots are excited for the challenge.
“It’s been a lot,” Pendelton said. “I’ve never played a schedule like this before, but it’s really fun. If you play a bad game, you can come back the next day and play again.”
Both AHS and the Hornets will get two well-deserved days off before meeting again in Orange County on Tuesday night.
