It obviously doesn’t hurt when one of the area’s best players is out of the lineup when your squad needs a critical victory. But despite William Monroe’s first team All-Jefferson District star Alex Cave being out of the lineup, Charlottesville struggled to figure out a Monroe team with a completely different look.
“We tried a little man-to-man defense and Greene did a great job of getting to the basket, so we adjusted and went to a 2-3 and we did a better job of talking a little more,” said Charlottesville coach Deanna Mitchelson. “So we stuck with that the rest of the game.”
The defensive shift helped the Black Knights hold Monroe in check in the second half, limiting every member of the Monroe roster to eight points or less in a 46-25 victory in the Jefferson District semifinals.
Ellie Von Storch carried the load offensively for Charlottesville, carving up Monroe’s defense to the tune of 18 points. Von Storch also spread the ball around well, helping the Charlottesville offense run smoothly throughout the game.
“She’s done a great job of being our floor general all year,” Mitchelson said. “She really does dictate the pace of the game. She just stepped up to the plate again tonight.”
Olivia Levine had nine points while London Todd checked in with six points.
Defensively, Sydney Calloway managed to play particularly well in the CHS zone, limiting the Dragons’ post players to mildly productive nights.
“She did a great job denying the ball—she has her mind made up that she’s one of the best post defenders in the district,” Mitchelson said.
Monroe, the No. 2-seeded JD squad, struggled for the second straight game without Cave, the Dragons’ point forward and offensive engine. Without Cave in the lineup to attack the zone, Monroe turned to Katelyn Roach, who despite being held scoreless put together a heroic performance to keep her squad in the game during the first half until the second half struggles.
“I challenged her tonight to make it special and I thought she absolutely did—she was good until she got headbutted right before halftime and she wasn’t the same after that,” said Monroe coach Phillip Lamb.
Roach’s efforts at the point, which Lamb believed she’d never really played before, helped Tiffany Snead and Alexa Smith pick up eight and seven points each. Still, the Monroe offense ground to a half after halftime with Roach knocked out.
“We were excited that we right there and then in the third quarter we didn’t even get shots off,” Lamb said.
According to projections, Monroe stands to suffer substantially from Western Albemarle’s forfeit situation and could now potentially fall from a No. 3 seed in the Region II tournament to a potential No. 6. If Western had stayed in the tournament and managed to win out, the Dragons would have had a home game no matter what happened Wednesday night. Instead, they’ll hit the road, either playing the JD tournament champ or the new third-seed in the region tournament.
Charlottesville will take on Monticello Friday night in the JD championship at 6 p.m.
