Nobody would’ve blamed Louisa point guard Tyi Skinner for taking the shot. She’d already scored a team high 17 and with little time left on the clock and the game deadlocked, Skinner is one of the best offensive players the Jefferson District has to offer.
But the sophomore didn’t take it. She drove a couple of steps down the baseline, forced the Charlottesville defense to draw in and then somehow found freshman Carmella Jackson near the free throw line.
“She’s really matured this year,” said Louisa coach Nick Schreck. “She can get to the rim anytime she wants and we’re starting to surround her with pieces and she’s trusting them and giving it up.”
Jackson swept into the lane and hit a contested leaner to put Louisa up one with 7.6 seconds to play. The Lions’ defense held up from there as fourth-seeded Louisa upset No. 1-seeded Charlottesville in the Jefferson District semifinals 47-45.
“She’s a freshman and we weren’t sure she was going to be on varsity to start the year but she worked really hard in the offseason,” Schreck said. “She’s earned every minute that she’s got and for her to come up with a big shot…that’s a big confidence booster for her.”
The win pushes Louisa into the Jefferson District championship game against Western Friday. The district girls race has been something of a madhouse all season, with any of the top four squads capable of beating any of the others, so Louisa’s win was a complete shocker. But it was certainly a huge step forward for a program on the rise to get a win in Charlottesville’s gym in a postseason setting.
“We’ve turned this thing around and a lot of the credit goes to those girls in that locker room,” Schreck said. “They’ve worked their butt off the last two years, they’re listening, they’re coachable and you can see what happens when we play our game.”
The Lions needed a huge rally in the final four minutes of the game to surge past the Black Knights as Charlottesville appeared to be in control of the game leading 39-33 going into the fourth quarter with Alajiah Ragland’s 14 points leading the way.
The Black Knights went cold down the stretch with only two fourth quarter field goals and six total points while Louisa went 6-for-8 at the line in the final frame. Still, even with 54 seconds left in the game, Charlottesville was up 44-41. That’s when Teriana Neely grabbed a rebound and made the putback while drawing the foul. She hit the free throw to tie the game at 44-44 with 48.5 seconds to play. Destinee McDonald knocked down a free throw, which then setup Skinner’s drive and dish and Coleman’s finish.
Anna Agee had 11 for the Lions to bolster Skinner’s 17-point effort while Jackson and Neely each finished with eight points.
McDonald had eight for the Black Knights while Kaniyah Key had six. Zanequa Thomas chipped in seven points.
The Black Knights now turn their attention toward the conference tournament while the Lions will face Western Albemarle Friday at 6 p.m. in the Jefferson District title game at Albemarle.
