Not even two weeks ago, the Albemarle girls basketball team dropped a heartbreaker at district rival Monticello 45-41, squandering a late lead in the process.
Tuesday afternoon on a neutral court in the Daily Progress/NBC29 Holiday Basketball Classic, the Patriots defense ensured there would be no such collapse, clamping down on the Mustangs for a 41-28 win at Western Albemarle High School.
Alyahna Tyler-Cooper had 12 points and Anne Ridenour added 11 as the Patriots used a 9-0 run in the early stages of the second quarter to gain control of what had been a tight game for the first eight minutes. Albemarle led 9-8 after one before Ridenour hit a jumper and Tyler-Cooper sunk two free throws and a field goal of her own. Sabrina Shisbey capped the burst with Albemarle’s only three-pointer of the game to make it 18-8 with 3:35 to go before halftime.
“We were much smarter, we converted on some pretty key steals,” Albemarle head coach Rachel Proudfoot said. “It worked well with one group in, we put a new group in with some man full-court pressure, and off the steals we made some good things happen.”
Albemarle’s defense also shined during the run, as Monticello didn’t get its first field goal of the second quarter until 1:48 remained when Mariah Brown scored to cut the lead to 22-12. The Mustangs managed to cut the deficit to 24-18 at halftime.
Albemarle responded by scoring the first six points of the second half to push the lead back up to double digits, but then went into a funk of its own on the offensive end. After Ridenour made two free throws with 2:50 remaining in the third to extend the lead to 33-20, the Patriots didn’t score again for a full eight minutes.
The Mustangs, meanwhile, crept closer, getting as close as 33-27 on free throws by Kirstena Lilley and Camille Blaine, but Monticello didn’t get another field goal after that.
“Luckily enough, [Monticello] wasn’t converting, so it worked out for us,” Proudfoot said. “But we need to be smarter with leads — it’s kind of a new thing for us.”
Brown led Monticello with 11 points while Kiana Scott chipped in nine. Albemarle’s zone defense forced the Mustangs into myriad long jumpers, of which they made just three of 15.
“With a team like this, the more tools we can put in our toolbox, the better off we are,” Proudfoot said. “We’re small, but we’re quick, so we just worked toward our strengths.”
