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Western edges Monroe in JD opener

William Monroe’s inexperienced team had a chance.

A Cally Troutman bucket with just over two minutes to play pulled the Dragons within one, but Monroe’s final critical possessions of the game came up empty with a turnover and a missed buzzer beater as Western Albemarle held on tight in a 41-40 victory Wednesday night that opened each team’s Jefferson District slate.

A 12-point, 18-rebound performance by Ellen Shaffrey — a double double threat every night she steps on the floor—led the way for Western. Shaffrey also had three assists and a pair of steals.

“She is a tireless worker,” said Western coach Kris Wright. “She wants to be good. When you want to be good and you put in the effort to do that, it usually pays off.”

Kelsey Swanson also sparked Western with 10 points and three rebounds.

Trailing by just one, Monroe forced a turnover and got a missed free throw from Western (3-0, 1-0 Jefferson) to set up their final two possessions, but it took a lot of time off the clock to put Western on the line for the last one because the Dragons weren’t called for many fouls in the second half. Nine seconds wound off the clock as Monroe committed foul after foul to try and enter the bonus. With just 8.4 seconds left, the Dragons got a chance to set things up, but Western denied the pass to Monroe’s top scorer Katelyn Roach and Monroe’s Shawnterica Cochran couldn’t knock down a tough, well-defended winner in the lane as time expired.

After an up and down, somewhat haphazard first half where both teams lit up the scoreboard to the tune of a 27-26 score, both offenses got bogged down in the second half. Monroe adjusted to the Warriors with a hardnosed rebounding effort by Shawnterica Cochran that kept Western off the offensive glass where it’d done the bulk of its damage before the break. Western countered by clamping down on Roach, who’d poured in 17 of Monroe’s 26 points by halftime.

Western put Lexy Eckerle on Roach in the second at the senior forward’s specific request.

“She said at halftime ‘I want her’ so I said, ‘you got her’,” Wright said. “And we went from there.”

After Roach drove for a big lay-in early, Eckerle managed to contain the junior Monroe guard who is deadly accurate from behind the 3-point line.

Roach finished with 21 points while Cochran hauled in eight rebounds.

It wasn’t enough though as Monroe dropped to 1-3 on the year. Still, the experience should be a positive one for the Dragons moving forward.

“For us to be in a game against one of the top teams — if not the top team — in the district, it gives us some confidence,” said Monroe coach Phillip Lamb.

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