Louisa County knew it was going to have its hands full against Western Albemarle — it hadn’t even been an entire week since because of a rescheduling quirk the Lions had fallen for the first time all season to the Warriors.
This time, Louisa proved up to the task, holding off the Warriors 66-56 for a critical Jefferson District win.
Chris Shelton led Louisa’s scoring attack with 21 points, with 13 of those 21 coming in the first half. Jarett Hunter had 13 points for the Lions and Mark Carter chipped in 10 while Xavien Hunter finished with nine.
Louisa led just 32-30 at the half and had to fight to close the door on Western, holding the Warriors to just four points in the third quarter before scoring 21 of their own in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
The Lions didn’t have to deal with Tommy Mangrum, who shredded two straight Western opponents including Louisa for 28 points last week, because the Warriors’ senior big man was out with an injury. Western’s lineup battled though, with Riley Prichard scoring 21 points, with 15 coming in the fourth quarter as the Warriors tried to rally after trailing 43-39 going into the final frame. Gabe Nafziger checked in with 13 points.
Louisa will host Monticello Wednesday night while the Warriors travel to Charlottesville Friday for another critical Jefferson District battle.
