It wasn’t pretty, but with a combination of timely 3-pointers from Denzel Terry and steady defense throughout, Monticello picked up a 52-44 victory over Charlottesville after falling behind 9-2 in the opening two minutes of the game.
“We really settled down,” said Monticello coach Robert Shelton. “It’s a big game, the guys looked forward to playing and the adrenaline is pumping. But we settled down and spread the floor a little and got some better looks.”
Monticello’s early offensive struggles mattered little as they built a 22-18 lead at the break, but Charlottesville got its transition game going and pulled within a point early in the fourth quarter. The senior-laden Mustangs were unshaken though, as Terry buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key. From there, Monticello took advantage of a putback by Jahvon Shelton, a strong drive and bucket by James Banks and a defensive breakdown by Charlottesville that left Alex McNair wideopen underneath for an easy lay-in to regain control of the contest.
The Mustangs’ offensive balance carried Monticello as Banks ran the point and calmly set the table for Terry’s team-high 17 points, Jhalil Mosley’s 13-point output and Jahvon Shelton’s own 13-point performance. Terry buried four second half 3-pointers en route to his 17 points.
Charlottesville got 17 points out of Darius Watson, who stake the Black Knights to the 9-2 lead to open the game. But Charlottesville’s shooting struggled almost the entire night.
“We got good looks but we missed several lay-ups and I thought that was the difference,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “And they hit a couple of shots, especially Denzel. But overall, I’m proud of what we did, the guys gave great effort even though the ball wasn’t going in the basket.”
The Mustangs remain unbeaten at home in Jefferson District play and are 4-1 through the first round of district matchups.
“We’re playing really well right now,” Banks said. “We’ve just got to keep it going.”
The Mustangs face Spotswood, one of the state’s top-ranked squads, Saturday night before hosting Powhatan and Fluvanna County next week in Jefferson District play. The Black Knights will try and rebound against Fluvanna at home Tuesday night.
