In a game that turns into a war of attrition, often the supporting cast has to step up in a big way. With four Freedom players fouling out and Albemarle star KK Barbour trying to survive the fourth quarter with four fouls, Albemarle’s role players rose to the occasion.
Whether it was Aneesha Debruhl, Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper or Brooke McAllister, Albemarle got a series of key contributions from unlikely places to pull out a 50-42 victory at home Saturday afternoon, advancing to the Region 5A North semifinals Monday when they’ll host Edison at 7 p.m.
McAllister, the Patriots’ point guard came up with a critical play late, slipping in to grab and offensive rebound before a putback that extended Albemarle’s lead to four points.
“She got in there and they didn’t think a 5-foot-3 guard could rebound and she got it and finished it,” said Albemarle coach Rachel Proudfoot. “When it broke to four points, that was nice.”
Debruhl gave the Patriots solid minutes in the post with Barbour tethered to the bench in the third quarter and connected on three of seven free throw attempts despite rarely spending any time at the line this season.
“She is a sophomore who has been in the weight room with us since her eighth grade year and I just keep saying that to her—you’re strong, you can get those rebounds,” Proudfoot said. “She goes hard every day and she has to go against KK every day so that makes her better. We’re really proud of her coming in.”
Tyler-Cooper also hit three free throws for the Patriots to help Albemarle stay ahead of Freedom.
Barbour of course managed to do the heavy lifting offensively for the Patriots despite her long stretch in the third quarter on the bench. She finished with 21 points, five assists, four steals and seven rebounds in the effort. She also handled the ball out of the backcourt down the stretch as Albemarle tried to survive Freedom’s press.
“She wanted to be in there helping her team out so I think it hurt her more sitting there,” Proudfoot said. “But when she was sitting there her team picked it up. They have to believe that they can do it without her and she has to believe they can do it without her.”
The Patriots had actually turned around a 3-point halftime deficit and led by a point going into the fourth despite Barbour being out.
Kendra Hairston notched 14 points, snagged three steals and hauled in seven rebounds. McAllister finished with six points.
The Patriots will take on Edison in the region semifinal, after the Eagles beat Mountain View 75-42 on Saturday night.
