Charlottesville boys basketball fell to Heritage-Lynchburg 71-65 Tuesday night in the Region 3C Quarterfinals, ending a campaign for the Black Knights that returns all but two players for 2022-2023.
Heritage came out on fire, taking a quick 13-4 lead, frustrating Charlottesville on the defensive end. From there, Keyshawn Hill took over, knocking down multiple tough midrange fadeaways to keep the Black Knights even. The Pioneers extended their lead back up to 22-14 in the second, but Hill hit a flurry of tough shots and knocked down a three to give CHS their first lead of the game a 31-30. The Black Knights lead 33-30 at the half.
The second half immediately picked up and was super physical, both teams entered the double bonus in the third quarter. Aidan Yates was face-guarded all night but finally hit a three off of an inbounds play to give Charlottesville a 36-31 lead and forced a Heritage timeout. Charlottesville took a 48-45 lead going into the fourth.
Keyshawn Hill was whistled for his fourth foul early in the fourth and the Pioneers took advantage and went on a quick 7-0 run. The two teams found themselves knotted at 60 with two minutes left. Kyle Ferguson hit a tough and one to create some separation and Heritage was able to keep Charlottesville at arms distance by knocking down free throws.
The loss ends Charlottesville’s season at 11-9, a promising year for an extremely young Black Knights team that boasted some impressive wins. Keyshawn Hill led Charlottesville with 27 and Polo Hill added 26. The Black Knights return their top three scorers next season.
Heritage-Lynchburg moves on to the Region 3C Semifinals where they’ll face #1 seed Spotswood on Thursday night with a state playoff berth on the line. Ferguson led HHS with 36 in the win.
