By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Senior forward Kendall Ballard scored 21 points and engineered a decisive run in the fourth quarter, turning a nip-and-tuck game in her team’s favor and leading Charlottesville to a 56-46 win over visiting Fluvanna County on Tuesday night.
With the score knotted at 39 midway through the fourth quarter, Ballard scored on two consecutive layups to give the Black Knights (8-3, 5-1 Jefferson District) a lead they would not give back. Destinee McDonald hit a pair of free throws for CHS to make it 45-39 before Fluvanna’s Morgan Symmers nailed a three to cut the lead in half with 2:56 remaining.
But Ballard once again had an answer, sinking a layup and drawing a foul called on Symmers 10 seconds later. The ensuing free throw brought the lead back to six, and the Knights went 8-of-10 from the line down the stretch to preserve the victory, capping off a 19-for-24 effort from the line.
“We got a little sloppy on press break,” CHS head coach Jim Daly said. “Our girls were really strong with the ball when it counted, we got to the foul line, and we shot it really well. I’m really proud of them.”
The game was close throughout, with neither team gaining a double-digit lead until the final margin. Fluvanna (6-6, 1-5) led 13-12 after one quarter after a pair of layups by Renee Custer in the final 25 seconds of the period gave the Flucos the lead. CHS opened the second quarter on a 11-2 run to take an eight-point lead with 3:30 left before halftime, but Kiana Childress scored seven of her game-high 24 points during a 9-2 Fluco counterpunch going into the break. Her three with 2:17 left gave Fluvanna a brief one-point lead before Kajesha Taylor scored to send the Knights into the locker room ahead by the slimmest of margins.
“Fluvanna pressed us, they really got after us,” Daly said. “Anytime someone comes in wearing a Fluco jersey, you’ve gotta give 32 minutes of effort.”
The teams went back-and-forth during the third quarter, which featured four lead changes despite the teams combining for just 16 points. Trailing 31-30, Childress knocked down a three, but Alaijah Ragland responded with a trey of her own with 1:20 left in the quarter and Ballard made a free throw for a 34-31 lead heading into the fourth.
“The fight was there all through the night, and at the end of the day as a coach that’s all you can ask from your team,” Fluvanna head coach Chad White said. “Ballard decided to put her team on her back.”
Ragland was the Knights’ second-leading scorer with 13 points while McDonald added 10. For the Flucos, Childress was the only player in double figures followed by Kate Stutz’s six points.
Charlottesville continues district play Friday night with a trip to crosstown rival Monticello. Fluvanna steps out of district, also on Friday, for a road matchup with Waynesboro.
