By Drew Goodman / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
With all of the excitement surrounding William Monroe forward Samantha Brunelle signing her National Letter of Intent with Notre Dame earlier this month, it might be easy to forget that the five-star prospect still has another season left for the Dragons.
Unless you live anywhere remotely close to Stanardsville.
In what will be a season full of “lasts” for Brunelle, the Monroe great took the floor at Michie Court for her final season opener of her high school career on Tuesday night against nearby rival Orange in front of a raucous home crowd.
It might have been the opener, but Brunelle appeared to be in mid-season form in her limited time on the court.
The Notre Dame signee poured in 30 points, despite playing roughly 50 percent of the game in Monroe’s 65-18 blowout of the visiting Hornets.
The gym at William Monroe began to fill up in the second half of the preceding junior varsity contests between WMHS and Orange, as anticipation grew for the beginning of Brunelle’s final campaign in Stanardsville. Brunelle plans to relish in every moment of her final go around in a Dragon uniform.
“To wear ‘Monroe’ across my chest is something special,” Brunelle said. “My mom, she played here, and to play at the same high school that she did, it means a lot to wear it across your chest, and I’m not taking anything for granted at all.”
Brunelle received an ovation after being introduced as a member of the Dragons’ starting five, and the buzz continued every time that she touched the ball.
The senior failed to connect on her first attempt from beyond the arc, but the clang of the rim represented one of her few misses on the night. Brunelle went 9-10 on two-point field goals and drained four triples, while helping the Dragons enjoy a comfortable lead for nearly the entire contest.
After resting for the final 3:30 of the first half, Brunelle exploded for the first 13 points for either team in the third quarter. The four-year starter finally hit the bench for good with 3:14 left in the third quarter, but not before she lit up the entire stat sheet.
Along with her impressive point total, Brunelle did everything that she could to get her teammates involved on a number of Monroe’s offensive possessions. Brunelle often passed up on potential fast break opportunities or open jumpers to find a neighboring teammate.
The senior captain dished out five assists on the night, while displaying a bevy of nifty passes in transition, which led to easy Monroe buckets.
“Passing kind of grows when your IQ grows, knowing openings and when’s the right time to make that pass,” Brunelle said. “Nobody is perfect in making passes, but definitely over the last four years, I’ve been getting better at that.”
Monroe coach Jess Stafford, “That’s always been an emphasis for [Brunelle] to include her teammates. As we’ve grown as a program, elevated our game, spend a lot of time in the gym, she can shine even more in that role. She enjoys including other people, it’s not as fun if you do everything yourself.”
Tuesday’s win also marked the debut of two new Dragons.
Greene County natives Bryonna Woofter and Martha Apple moved back to Virginia from North Carolina and Texas respectively this year, which has provided the William Monroe with more fire power and options.
Apple chipped in six points, while Woofter provided a steady hand at the point guard position, dishing out three assists on the night.
“They’re both automatic impact players,” Stafford said. “[Woofter] is the best point guard to come through this school in my opinion. She sets the pace for us… If she’s pushing the ball, we’re going fast, if she pushes out, we’re going slow. You haven’t seen her full potential yet, she’s crazy good.”
“Martha Apple is a junior from Texas. She’s like old school physical. She likes to bang around in the paint and she’s got a motor. She likes to run the floor, get up and down, bang around in the post some, and she can also step out on the wing.”
Hailey Morris, Iyanna Carey, and freshman Chloe Rush each chipped in six points.
Stafford displayed her deep bench and allowed all 15 members of her varsity roster to get some burn in Tuesday’s win.
Regardless of who was on the floor and despite the overwhelming advantage on the scoreboard, the Dragons remained locked-in on defense all night. Many Orange County first half possessions ended in turnovers before the Hornets could even attempt a shot from the field.
Orange did not reach double digits until late in the first half and allowed 20 straight Monroe points until it finally touched the score sheet in the third quarter.
“That’s what we focus 80-percent of our practice on, is defense,” Stafford said. “We gain our energy from the defensive end of the floor, so it all kind of snowballs from there. We want to be up-tempo, we want to push, get in your grill, and that starts on the defensive end of the floor.”
William Monroe will next travel to Fluvanna County on Friday, while the Hornets will look for their first win of the young season on Thursday at Madison.
