Devin Turner draped his arm around fellow senior Richard Washington as the television crews stepped in to interview the two Charlottesville guards after the Black Knights’ 65-39 victory over Monticello in the Jefferson District final.
It was a fitting gesture from Turner as the pair had leaned on each other all night to coordinate the Charlottesville offense.
Turner, the cool, calm senior point guard, attacked the basket, and if he missed, Daquan Jones or Dashaun Blakey stick-backs fixed the problem. If Monticello shut off penetration, Turner found one of his two forwards on a crisp entry pass, setting the table for big nights by both Blakey, who had 13 points and nine boards and Jones, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“They were open the whole time, but I didn’t see it at first,” Turner said. “Second half, I got it to them and they did a great job of making shots and rebounding.”
Charlottesville’s strength is getting out and running — there aren’t too many teams that have the depth to keep up when the Black Knights speed up the game. But Thursday night it was Turner’s ability to slow things down that changed the course of the game — Monticello’s youthful roster looked frantic when set up next to the relaxed, experienced Charlottesville group.
“That’s a senior running that offense,” said Monticello coach Kareem Martin. “When I’ve got two sophomores trying to run it together for the first time.”
Then Washington, who has rarely been a major factor on offense in his career as a reliable, unflappable defensive stopper, made sure Turner didn’t have to carry the entire load. The renowned defender dished out six assists, topping Turner’s five-assist output and giving Charlottesville an unexpected dimension.
“Richard did a great job — I’ll take it,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor.
Washington didn’t shirk his defensive duties either, helping the Black Knights as a primary defender on electric guard Jhalil Mosley. Mosley finished with eight points a night after scoring 21 as Charlottesville’s mix of man and zone gave Monticello fits.
The Mustangs’ struggles on the boards, which plagued them all season, took centerstage again as Blakey and Jones went to work during the 16-2 run that started late in the third and that took Monticello out of the game. The lack of defensive rebounding gave Monticello only a handful of chances to cut into the lead, and it couldn’t capitalize on any of the three early third quarter possessions that they could’ve taken a lead. Charlottesville made them pay with the spurt that changed the complexion of the game from a close one into a blowout.
Rickquan Jones and Aarick Green chipped in seven points each for CHS while Kevin Archer led Monticello with nine points.
Monticello will hit the road to take on Woodgrove in the Region II, Div. 3 tournament, a major step for Martin and his program.
“I’m proud of what they’re doing but I’m not satisfied — I want more,” Martin said. “And I know they want more, and we’re going to work hard to get there.”
Charlottesville will host ParkView Tuesday in the Region II, Div. 3 matchup and a win there, if seeding holds up, would send the Black Knights on the road against No. 2 Millbrook.
