Western Albemarle’s girls basketball team just knew they were ready Friday night as they locked up with Albemarle again in a 48-27 win over the Patriots.
“We were all very confident, everyone who came off the bench knew we were there to play and everyone played as a team,” said Western’s Annie Meenan.
That was particularly true on the defensive end, where the Warriors held Albemarle to four points in the first quarter, six in the second and four in the third. Those four in the third came in the final minute of the frame, so for nearly three quarters the Warriors locked Albemarle up and limited them to just 10 points.
“We talk a lot about knowing who you are and it all starts on that end for us,” said Western coach Kris Wright. “For it to be locked in from the beginning, when we do that, we’re certainly competitive.”
That teamwork showed on offense too where the Warriors (14-5, 10-1 Jefferson District) had an assist on 17 of their 20 field goals, moving the ball well through the offense. That allowed them to reap the rewards from the defensive end and avoid a close fight at the end of the game.
It helped that Sydney Sherman, the Warriors’ breakout sophomore standout, went 7-for-7 from the field in a nearly flawless effort, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“She has really stepped up and we were scared after losing Eleri (Hayden) who is a great player,” Meenan said. “Syd came up, stepped up and she’s made a huge contribution to the team.”
Western point guard Elisabeth Coffman finished with just three points but she filled up the stat sheet otherwise with six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Anna O’Shea finished with nine points, all on 3-pointers and five assists, Ellie Plantz had four steals and Meenan dished out three assists. Hannah Leeb scored eight points, all in the fourth quarter.
Albemarle struggled offensively, with MarQuelah Wilson finished with six points to lead the Patriots.
The Warriors travel to take on Fluvanna Tuesday in an opportunity to avenge their lone Jefferson District loss while Albemarle looks to get back on track against Louisa at home the same night.
