By Liz Keller/Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Orange County’s basketball team used its stifling pressure defense and got a total team effort as it prevailed over a pesky Monticello squad to earn a Jefferson District road win on Monday night.
The Hornets got a boost from the trio of Raheim Cooper, Josh Pugh and Jamal Hunter, who each scored in double figures to help the visitors hang on for the 74-66 victory.
Orange (9-2, 4-1 JD) led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but saw the lead slip away as Monticello came to life.
Thanks to the hot hands of Denzel Terry and Kevin Archer, who scored 23 of the team’s 25 points in the frame, the Mustangs cut the lead to one during the third quarter. The pair drained five 3-pointers during the third-quarter surge to climb back into the game. Archer came off the bench to lead all scorers with 21 points, including four threes. Terry finished with 14 points.
“We let their kids get hot. We told the team at halftime, you can’t let a team like Monticello hang around,” Orange County coach Keyode Rogers said. “If you let them hang around, they get confident, and the more confident they get, the better they are.”
The Hornets clung to a one-point lead in the fourth as Monticello resorted to fouling. The strategy was effective – Orange went 14 for 30 from the free-throw line in the final frame. But with a 57-55 lead, the Hornets clamped down on the defensive end and forced a pair of turnovers that led to quick baskets from Cooper and Pugh. After a Monticello timeout, Orange continued its full-court press and reaped the rewards. Pugh picked off a Monticello pass and got the ball to Cooper who was fouled. The junior guard converted one of two free throws before the ball found Pugh’s hands again. The 6-foot-1 guard made a nifty move to the basket to extend the Hornets’ lead to 64-55.
Cooper finished with a team-high 18 points while Pugh added 15. Hunter added 15, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Tyler Seal contributed eight. Landon Rasnick made his presence felt in the paint with six rebounds, four points and a pair of blocks.
According to Rogers, balance has been a key for the Hornets this season.
“With the team we have now, it’s kind of hard to gameplan for whose going to lead us,” Rogers said. “It’s always good to have four, five, maybe six kids who can on a given night, lead you in scoring. That’s something that’s helped us out tremendously.”
Orange never looked back, and went 9 for 14 from the foul line in the final 1:20 to preserve the win.
Monticello (6-7, 4-3), which posted a thrilling win over Fluvanna County last week, has now lost two straight.
“We should have never gotten down like that,” Monticello coach Kareem Martin said. “They wanted it more than we did. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, or if I’m the right person to do the thing, but I’m hoping that we can bounce back and turn it around pretty quickly.”
Monticello travels to Charlottesville Friday, while Orange plays host to Louisa County.
