By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
After a slow opening eight minutes, third-seeded Albemarle snapped back into form and ran away from sixth-seeded Powhatan by a 27-7 clip in the second quarter en route to an 80-44 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Jefferson District Tournament.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy off a good win Friday night against Orange,” said Powhatan coach Steve Washburn. “We matched their intensity level early, but eventually their pressure just got the best of us. We’re not as deep a team, and they’re a strong team throughout. They’re so balanced, both inside and out.”
Freshman forward Austin Katstra started the Patriots’ run with a putback at the rim just before the first quarter buzzer, his fourth basket of the period. Albemarle scored the first 12 points to start the second, forcing two Powhatan timeouts to attempt to halt the rush. After an Indian basket, the Patriots unleashed another 8-0 run to build a 39-16 halftime lead. Following a scoreless first quarter, junior guard Juwan Carter matched Katstra’s performance with four buckets in the second.
“I thought we were sluggish on both ends in that first quarter, but [Juwan] really picked it up in the second and gave us a good lift with some outside shots and a couple nice drives,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “That’s kind of the way we’ve been all year. Sometimes Austin’s scoring, sometimes Jake Hahn, sometimes Juwan. They’re all averaging double figures so it’s nice to have that balance.”
Hahn, the other freshman member of Albemarle’s frontcourt, had a solid night with eight point and five boards. He also came up with three steals, sparking several transition opportunities.
“I was just playing in the gap and reacted to the ball,” Hahn said. “[On the last one], I heard somebody yelling on the other side, so I just threw it.”
Katstra was on the receiving end of the full-court pass and his finish ignited the home crowd early in the third quarter.
“It was my first high school dunk so it was really exciting,” said Katstra.
The Patriots’ starters exited shortly thereafter as the lead ballooned over 30 with Carter’s fast-break layup at the 2:51 mark of the third. Carter led Albemarle with a game-high 14 points. Katstra tallied 12, and sophomore guard Myles Adams-Yates chipped in nine off the bench.
Sam Fleming and Luke Ellis led Powhatan with 11 points each, while Justin Deleon added 10. The Indians look ahead to the 4A South Conference 19 Tournament with increased playing time for Ellis, who has battled back from a broken finger.
Albemarle moves on to face No. 2-seed Western for the fourth time this season in the District Tournament Semifinals on Tuesday night.
