Charlottesville’s girls basketball squad’s defense clamped down and stepped up Monday night against Amherst in the second half of the Conference 23 semifinals.
“Really it was the tips and the steals and not letting them shoot as much,” said Charlottesville coach James Daly. “We had a lot of tips and steals.”
With that effort, the Black Knights picked up a 48-36 win over the Lancers to earn a Region 4A North berth and a spot in the Conference title game.
Charlottesville was extremely balanced offensively too with a slew of players getting in on the act. Alaijah Ragland led the Black Knights with 13 points while Kendall Ballard scored 12 on the night. Zanequa Thomas finished with nine points and created a lot of big opportunities for the Black Knights, attacking the lane relentlessly.
“She’s a really, really tough kid,” Daly said. “She is just so strong with the ball and she’ll go right at somebody.”
Bri Jordan only scored three points, but they came on a bucket and a foul in the third quarter that was critical as the Black Knights pulled ahead.
Charlottesville held Amherst’s Debra Ferguson, a UVa commitment, to just two points in the second half after she scored eight points in the first half. Jada Taylor finished with nine points all of them on 3-pointers for the Lancers.
The Black Knights will play Fluvanna County in the Conference 23 title game Tuesday. From there they’ll turn their attention to the Region 4A North tournament.
