It was a long season for the Monticello girls basketball team last year, and so after his team picked up its first victory of the year in the very first game of the year, 28-20 against Charlottesville, Mustangs coach Mike Mountjoy was understandably selective and brief with his words.
“This game was about (our player’s) dedication,” Mountjoy said. “It’s about their journey. It was their night.”
In a game that could only be described as a defensive struggle as both teams scored single digit points in the first three quarters, the Mustangs held at least a two possession lead for almost all of the first half.
Yet after the Black Knights held Monticello scoreless in the third quarter, slowly Charlottesville closed in on the lead early in the fourth, chipping the deficit down to just one point with six minutes to play. However, the Mustangs would not let their lead slip up, hitting their free throws down the stretch and clamping down on defense.
“We stayed low and kept to our defensive assignments,” said Monticello forward Carla Brooks. “We knew we had to stay on the boards and get those rebounds.”
Brooks led the Mustangs with six points while also hauling in a game high eight rebounds. Lisa Marshall hit the game’s only two 3-pointers, and her shot from beyond the arc a little over midway through the fourth quarter help to put her team back up by a pair of possessions and ultimately set the table for the win.
“This was such a great victory for us,” Brooks said. “We are so happy for ourselves and this is just the beginning and we’ve got much more to come.”
For the Black Knights, it was a rare Jefferson District home loss, and according to the team’s coach Deanna Mitchelson, something that can be avoided if she can find one player willing to step forward and seize the team’s leadership role.
“From the beginning we didn’t have any heart or initiative or home court protection,” Mitchelson said. “To me it was a lack of desire. I was waiting for one girl to get everyone together and say ‘hey guys, we’re screwing this up’ and we talked about that at halftime — we were supposed to come out at the half and be more aggressive — but it seemed as though everyone was waiting for someone else to do it.”
Senior Star Lewis, junior Olivia Levine and freshman Sydney Calloway accounted for all but two points of Charlottesville’s total offense. Each finished the game with six points.
The Mustangs (1-0, 1-0) travel to Nelson County on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.
The Black Knights get a chance to avenge the home loss when they host Tandem on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
