In the first round of the Holiday Classic, Albemarle coach Greg Maynard leaned on his big men, then Tuesday against Charlottesville he flipped things around and let his guards do some of the heavy lifting.
If he gets that kind of balance all year, the Patriots’ Commonwealth District opponents might have something to think about this year.
“That’s really the strength of our team is that we’re so balanced,” Maynard said. “I never know who’s going to do it from night to night myself. We try and play a lot of players and hopefully somebody will come through.”
Albemarle’s reward is yet another matchup with a county archrival, this time a round three with Western Albemarle, a team the Patriots have knocked off twice this year.
Mayn Francisco and Dalton Stoked tallied 11 points each as the Patriots (4-2) unleashed a balanced offensive attack and a pressure-oriented defense en route to knocking off the Black Knights 68-56.
Albemarle took a 38-32 advantage into the half on the strength of a 5-0 pop to close out the second quarter, with Andrew Frazier burying a 3-pointer near the end of the frame. Things got worse for the Black Knights in the third as a Francisco 3-pointer extended the Patriots’ lead to 12 late in the quarter. Shortly thereafter, Maurice Jackson, one of Charlottesville’s top offensive threats, picked up a fourth personal and then got tagged with a technical foul, putting an end to his night.
While the Black Knights didn’t fall apart after that, losing Jackson certainly had an impact.
“I thought the difference was that they were patient and we weren’t—we were one pass and (shoot),” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “And free throws were critical, they hit theirs and we didn’t.”
The battle between Francisco and Jackson made for a fascinating backcourt conflict. Both players were determined from the opening tip to try and shut the other down, and things went back and forth between the two until Jackson picked up the technical.
“I didn’t think (Francisco) was aggressive as he needed to be (Monday) night and I wanted to challenge him defensively tonight and get him more involved,” Maynard said. “He stepped up and knocked down a few shots of his own, and Maurice is such a good offensive player you’re not going to shut him down.”
Terrence Briggs, the Black Knights’ versatile forward, led Charlottesville (3-2) with 16 points while Jackson chipped in 14. Briggs stepped out to hit a nice 3-pointer, but the Black Knights couldn’t find a consistent answer for Albemarle’s depth and guard play.
Albemarle’s Andrew Mann and Rashad Talley, who had big nights against Wanyesboro Monday, combined for 14 points and came up with some critical rebounds to keep possessions alive for the Patriots.
The Black Knights tackle Covenant in the tournament’s third place game this afternoon while Western and Albemarle square off in the championship at 6:15 p.m.
