ORANGE — Coming off a loss at Western Albemarle on Thursday night, the Orange County girls basketball team needed to make some quick adjustments to prepare for Jefferson district-leading Charlottesville on Friday.
So, the Hornets went back to basics, employing their stingy defense in order to create scoring opportunities. The strategy paid off, as Orange upended the visitors, previously unbeaten in district play, 40-36.
“There was an article in the newspaper about how well we’d been doing this season in playing our style of basketball, and last night we didn’t,” said Orange coach David Rabe, whose team stayed perfect at home. “The first time we played [Charlottesville], they really attacked the rim and got to the basket a lot easier than they did tonight. We had some mistakes here and there, but as a whole, that’s one of the best defensive games we’ve played all season.”
Clinging to a one-point lead, senior Kiani Hudgens made one of the biggest defensive plays of the night, as she grabbed a quick steal, her fifth of the game, and took it all the way for the score with 1:01 remaining. Hudgens paced Orange with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Lexi Lomax helped seal the win, as she hauled in a long inbounds pass from Lindsey Slaughter and converted another basket underneath with 23 seconds to play.
The Hornets, which led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, were able to keep the Black Knights’ leading scorers, Alaijah Ragland and Destinee McDonald in check much of the night. Ragland scored a game-high 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while McDonald added 11 points.
CHS, which went 5 of 10 from the free-throw line, failed to convert free throws down the stretch.
“We just weren’t as sharp in each little step,” Charlottesville coach Jim Daly said. “Each time we didn’t meet the pass, each time we weren’t strong with the ball, we couldn’t execute like normal. But a lot of that had to do with Orange. They played really tough and scrappy — I give their defense a lot of credit.”
The Black Knights closed out the third quarter with a 9-2 run and held a 31-30 lead with 4:31 to play, but Slaughter, a freshman, drained a 3-pointer in the corner to give the Hornets a lead it would not relinquish.
“To be able to have not only an upperclassmen but a freshman step in on a pressure situation to make big plays — it makes you smile as a coach,” Rabe said.
Laine Harrington added nine points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists. Kaniyah Key contributed eight points for Charlottesville.
Both teams are back in action on Tuesday. Charlottesville plays host to Fluvanna, while Orange entertains Albemarle.
