There’s a consensus among Louisa County’s girls basketball team that adding a third, consistent and productive presence to the mix to go with what everyone already knows Olivia McGhee and Sylvie Jackson bring to the table is what takes the Lions to another level.
An explosive 21 points and 14 rebounds from Janie Smith in a 55-32 victory over Albemarle Tuesday night is exactly that kind of third prong the Lions’ attack has been searching for.
“With Janie stepping up like that we have a dominant player in the post, dominant players on the wing,” Jackson said. “I think it’s unstoppable.”
Smith’s huge outing couldn’t have come at a better moment either. Facing the Patriots, who edged out Louisa earlier this month and lost to Fluvanna, control of first place in the Jefferson District was on the line in Mineral. The Lions delivered, avenging that early season loss behind Smith’s double double, another double double from McGhee of 10 points and 13 rebounds and a 19-point outing from Jackson.
“A lot of the girls have been stepping up for us this season, Janie especially,” said Louisa coach Nick Schreck of Smith. “When you try and take those two (Olivia and Sylvie) away and then you’ve got Janie on the block doing what she needs to do, good luck stopping us.”
Louisa jumped out to a 10-5 lead early with a rebounding advantage helping the Lions clear the way and extend that early lead to 22-12 by halftime. The Patriots are heavily reliant on guards and don’t bring much height to the mix, requiring them to be active and box out in order to have a shot on the boards against the Lions.
“We’re a really tall, lengthy team so really it was just about executing, boxing out, doing what we need to do to get the rebounds,” Smith said.
While the rebounding was problematic, the Patriots knew they were giving up some height on the boards, but Albemarle also couldn’t find a way to impose their pace on the Lions. The Patriots just couldn’t get into transition and create some easy baskets.
“I was more concerned with the tempo, we stayed in that halfcourt mentality,” said Albemarle coach Rachel Proudfoot.
Those halfcourt trips became particularly problematic when the Patriots got trapped in the corner where McGhee wreaked some serious havoc. Those forced turnovers helped Louisa get some key run-outs in the second half that led to easy lay-ups for Smith and Jackson.
Pulling away and finishing late was a testament to Louisa finally getting completely locked in and healthy all at once after what has been a disjointed season so far.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been at full strength and tonight it was a step in the right direction getting Emion (Byers) back,” Schreck said. “We’ve been developing our depth with people being out and now we’re on the track where we’re trying to get to full strength and play our best basketball late in the season.”
Louisa will square off against Fluvanna County Wednesday while Albemarle takes on cross-county rival Western Albemarle in Crozet.
