Had Fluvanna County hit its free throws like it normally does instead of a 12-32 night, it would have been a different game. Had Charlottesville not struggled mightily with layups, it also might have been a different game. Instead, those struggles for both squads kept it close, and a late fourth quarter basket by Flucos forward Jake Smith wound up being the ultimate difference, but not before the Black Knights clawed back and got one solid look at a 3-pointer to force overtime.
The ball rimmed out to give Fluvanna a 52-49 win and regular season sweep of Charlottesville.
“We knew it was going to be a battle — their backs were against the wall,” said Flucos coach Munro Rateau. “I’m tickled the way we played tonight. They’re so athletic. We had a hard time in the first half rebounding the ball, but we talked about at halftime and I thought we did a better job in the second half. I thought that was the difference.”
The Black Knights started out strong, opening up a 16-4 lead, and maintained an edge on the home squad in the Shoebox for the majority of the first half thanks to the rebounding of Deshaun Blakey, who hauled in 12 boards in the first two frames. Still, more than a handful of missed open looks close in haunter the visitors.
“We had a lot of good opportunities, really good ones in the first half, but couldn’t finish under the rim,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “We finish those, maybe it’s a different game if we do.”
Fluvanna fought back in the second quarter to make it a 1-point game behind the play of Yaya Anderson and Vinny Agee before tying it at the half, 23-23. In the third quarter, the Flucos took the lead and got their fans to their feet first on a Jalen Harrison dunk. Then an Anderson layup put Fluvanna up 35-34.
“It’s a great thing to have these teammates, they’re getting better and better each game, each practice,” Anderson said. “We don’t have to tell anyone what to do because they know what’s expected of them. That’s a great thing.”
In the fourth, Fluvanna went up by seven midway through the frame, but things got interesting in the last minute of play as the Flucos failed to convert free throws. Smith’s big mid-range shot made it 51-44 for his team.
“It was definitely nerve racking because if I miss that, I probably come out of the game, so I shot with confidence,” Smith said. “I got beat around pretty good early and my temper got the best of me, but my coaches, they calmed me down and so I buckled down and went out to play hard.”
As big as the shot was, Charlottesville took advantage of the unconverted free throws and made it a 3-point game. With 10 seconds to play, the Black Knights moved up court and saw Damarcus Scott get an uncontested shot off from the top of the key that would of tied it, and while the shot was true, it was just an inch long and hit the back of the rim and popped up to end the game.
“We still got an open look, but it just missed,” Minor said. “That’s just the way it is, but I am happy with the overall effort we got.”
Anderson led all scorers with an 18-point night but also added nine rebounds and five assists. Agee also reached double-digits with 12 points. Harrison and Smith finished with six and five points respectively.
For the Black Knights, Blakey tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rickquan Jones added nine points while Scott finished with eight.
Charlottesville (9-6, 2-4 Jefferson District) travels to Western Albemarle on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Fluvanna (15-1, 6-0) heads to Monticello on Friday at 7:30 p.m. A win there secures at least the second seed in the JD tournament.
