Buckingham has dropped just two James River District matches all season and Thursday the Knights were able to avenge one of those losses and hand a first JR loss to Amelia in a 62-54 win behind their play in the paint.
“We were able to get the ball back inside instead of relying on 3-point shooting all the time,” said Buckingham coach Russ Gowin. “We were 2-for-4 from the 3-point line and we usually try that many in a quarter.”
The Raiders were 7-0 coming into the match, but behind a monster fourth quarter and a solid first half, the Knights blemished that record.
Behind the play of Caleb White, Kevin Bolden, Tarian Ayers and Antonn Briley, Buckingham built up a 12-point lead in the first half. However, Amelia cut that to just one point in the third quarter outscoring the Knights 20-9 in the frame.
Buckingham stopped the bleeding in the fourth though as Bolden, getting back to full strength after an ankle injury, posted his second straight double-double to lead the shoot-out that finished the game. While Amelia piled on 16 in the final frame, the Knights ran up the court to put in 23 to finish off the win.
Ayers had 13 of his 15 points in the first half and Briley closed the game with nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Bolden finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. White tied Ayers with 15 points and had five assists.
Buckingham (14-3) next hosts Randolph Henry, the only other JR team to top the Knights this year. The Knights will seek to avenge the only other loss in the district against the Statesmen on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
