For two teams in vastly similar situations, it was a learning experience. Both the Monticello and Fluvanna County boys basketball programs are undergoing massive overhauls thanks to graduation and transfers. Lessons were taught as the two youth-driven squads squared off with the Mustangs learning just how important free throws are down the stretch and the Flucos discovering what happens when you never give up. Monticello appeared to have things wrapped up in the last two minutes of play, but a late run from Fluvanna followed by a cold streak at the charity stripe made this a one possession game in the final seconds with the Mustangs hanging on for a 47-42 win.
“The guys turned up the intensity and gutted it,” said Monticello coach Robert Shelton. “I think they came in at halftime a bit disappointed with the results. They came out with the intensity, but Fluvanna’s a well coached team and Coach (Munro Rateau) has been doing this a well and had his team ready. We were just fortunate enough to make some plays there and get out with the win.”
Thanks to a great defensive effort from Jayden Nixon who had three blocks in a two minute span in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs took a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Goddience Flanagan, Aimir Simms and ake Mooney broke off a 6-0 run in the last two minutes of play to make it a 2-point contest with 11.8 seconds to go.
“Well we just have to do that the whole game, not at the end,” Rateau, who sits two wins shy from 500 in his career, said. “That’s just the learning process we’ve got to go through. We got a lot of shots at the rim that we just didn’t finish on. But there’s not a lot of experience out there and so we’ve got to get better everyday and we’re going to put out the kids that want to get better everyday. We just have to play games and find out what we can do, what we have, what we can’t do.”
While things tightened up down the stretch, Monticello finally got what it needed at the free throw line, hitting two of its five three throws (5 for 16 on the night) to close out the win.
“That’s all mental.” Shelton said. “We just have to embrace the moment, make the shots. I think the guys rebounded though from that adversity.”
The game was back and forth for the first quarter and a half with the Mustangs gaining an early edge but the Flucos fighting to make it a 14-14 game. A 7-2 run from Monticello led by Nixon and Javian Thomas gave the Mustangs a 23-18 edge going into the break.
In the third quarter, Monticello maintained control and took a nine point lead into the fourth quarter and held strong until the last two minutes of play.
The Mustangs had a balanced attack at the end of the night with Thomas leading the way with his 11 points. Nixon had seven points but also five blocks.
“Coach gets on me all the time about help defense so I was just trying to do that,” Nixon said of his defensive spurt in the fourth. “So I did what I was supposed to, played helped defense and got up a couple of times to block the ball, do what I could do for my teammates.”
Sam Colusuonno had eight points. Robert Deane had seven points.
For Fluvanna, Talavious Hughes had a team best 10 points. Simms and Moody finished with eight and seven points respectively.
The Flucos (2-5,1-3) travel to Powhatan on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Mustangs (2-3, 2-1) host Albemarle on Friday at 8 p.m.
