Charlottesville just dug too deep of a hole.
Despite a solid second half rally after trailing by 12 at the break, Charlottesville couldn’t break through Tuesday night in a clash with Waynesboro, falling 63-57 in the opening round of the Daily Progress Holiday Basketball Classic.
“That’s a great effort in the second half but we’ve got to come out mentally ready to play,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “And I don’t think we did tonight.”
The Black Knights suffered too many miscues down the stretch after cutting Waynesboro’s lead to just three at the start of the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. A series of missed lay-ins, in particular, stung. But Waynesboro’s defense in the post led by Alex Graves and a steady hand at the point from Stowe Graham helped hold CHS at bay too.
“I felt like we played great defense and took them out of their offense,” said Little Giants coach C. Jay Dewitt. “I thought we played a real good solid first half and then it kind of got away from us a little bit, but good teams are going to make runs at you.”
Waynesboro, who advanced to the 2011 Group AA, Division 3 final, picked up the big win to move on to take on Albemarle Wednesday night in the tournament semifinals. Graves led the Little Giants with 19 points, getting it done with tip-ins and running the floor in transition in addition to Waynesboro’s halfcourt offense.
“He’s just a well-rounded player, he does a lot of really good things for us,” Dewitt said. “He’s a good one.”
Shy Washington came up with 11 points for Waynesboro while Graham had 13 points. Graham has quickly given the Little Giants another solid option in a lineup already loaded with returners including Graves, Washington and Skylar Phillips.
“Stowe has done a good job — he’s solid,” Dewitt said. “He’s been a pleasant surprise.”
Phillips had a quiet night with five points but was clutch in the fourth, when he scored all of his points.
Dashaun Blakey and Daquan Jones led the Black Knights with 14 and 13 points respectively. Taquan Wicks put together a solid 10-point second half including eight crucial points during the third quarter spurt that put Charlottesville back in the game.
