By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Behind yet another double-double from senior center K.K. Barbour and a solid defensive effort, the Albemarle girls basketball team cruised past visiting Patrick Henry-Ashland 63-39 Monday night in the Conference 16 semifinals, earning a berth in the 5A North Regional tournament.
Barbour scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Patriots and Kendra Hairston added 21, helping the senior tandem outscore Patrick Henry by themselves. The Patriots shot an even 50% from the field and made 22 of 29 field goal attempts in the victory.
Early on, both teams showed some signs of rust, as the game had originally been scheduled for last Tuesday night but had been pushed back due to continuous effects from the winter storm that hit the Charlottesville area last week, limiting practice time for the teams.
“We did a couple things that bring them together if they’re not going to be in the gym,” AHS head coach Rachel Proudfoot said. “When we did practice, everybody was very alert. They didn’t come in lethargic and they came ready to work.”
AHS never trailed in the game, but Patrick Henry hung around in the first period. Albemarle jumped out to a 12-6 lead on a basket by Hairston midway through the quarter, but Patrick Henry’s Aryna Taylor answered with a three-point play to cut the lead in half. Taylor led the visitors from Ashland with 19 points, but that was her team’s final points for nearly eight minutes.
Barbour knocked down a three at the buzzer to make it 17-11 after one, and AHS scored the first 10 points of the second quarter before a free throw by Briana Woody broke the Patrick Henry drought. Patrick Henry didn’t get another field goal until 15 seconds remained in the half, and by that time, Albemarle had built a 36-18 lead going into the locker room.
“They wanted this a month ago, when we played [Patrick Henry] at their place and they got us by one,” Proudfoot said. “It was one of those games that just hurt and it stayed there.”
Patrick Henry scored the first four points of the second half to trim the lead to 14, but Albemarle followed with consecutive baskets from Hairston, Brooke McCallister and Anne Ridenhour to make it a 20-point game. Patrick Henry didn’t get closer than 15 after that, with the lead getting as large as 25 on two Barbour free throws late in the fourth quarter.
Albemarle limited Patrick Henry to 10-41 from the field and 2-12 from three while forcing 21 turnovers. Albemarle won the battle of the boards by a slim 31-27 margin.
The Patriots will travel to Orange for the Conference 16 title game Tuesday night. Albemarle beat the Hornets, a Jefferson District rival, twice during the regular season.
