Lady Dragons clinch district with wins over Flucos, Mustangs

As leaders of the Jefferson District, William Monroe’s varsity girls basketball team has had a target on their backs all season. Tuesday night, February 3, was no different.  The Lady Dragons hosted the Fluvanna Flucos in one of their last regular season games of the year. 
In their first meeting, the teams needed extra time as the Flucos beat Monroe by only a point in a Christmas tournament held in Stanardsville. But, the Dragons got the best of Fluvanna in their second meeting of the season, nailing the win at Fluvanna.
This time, Monroe would take the season series by a score of 42-38.
The first quarter on Tuesday began with an early Dragon scoring run. Monroe got their points off fast breaks, results of their good play on the defensive end of the court.
But Fluvanna would not be outdone. The Flucos drew the game to just one point midway through the first. The Lady Dragons answered right back by scoring six out of the last eight total points in the quarter.
After one quarter, Monroe held a slim lead at 13-7.
The second quarter was a struggle for both teams on offense.  A passive Dragons team missed shots that kept them from getting anything going.
Poor offensive play from Fluvanna kept Monroe in the lead, as the Flucos missed many shots.
As the second quarter came to an end, the Dragons found themselves in a close game with a lead of just 19-15.
Coming out of the locker rooms, both teams looked to turn their offensive struggles around and to try to put the other away. But neither team let that happen: much of the third quarter scoring went back and forth.
Halfway through the third, the Dragons looked as if they were taking control of the game. They pushed their lead to 28-22 on four straight points. But the Flucos would have an answer as they hit three three-point baskets to close out the quarter.
Up to this point,  Fluvanna’s outside shooting was weak. The 9-0 scoring run gave the Flucos team its first lead at 31-28 - and all the momentum heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter began with the Dragons getting all their offense from freshman Alex Cave. She scored the first five points of the quarter to put Monroe back on top by two.
The score remained close for the rest of the quarter, with neither team able to pull away from the other. Fluvanna held a three-point lead late in the game and looked as if they would get the win.
Monroe turned the ball over several times in the last few minutes of the game keeping them from regaining the lead. After a missed Fluvanna free throw and a lay up by Bethany Leake, the Dragons found themselves down by just one with time running low.
As she has done time and time again, Melanie Lamb got an open look and hit a three that gave the Dragons a two point lead.
After a failed attempt by the Flucos to score, Cave put a close on her great fourth quarter —and a close on the game —by hitting two free throws that put the score out of reach.
The Dragons won the game by a score of 42-38, taking the season series. Monroe coach Phillip Lamb had nothing but good things to say about his team.
“We are just so resilient. We knew it was going to be a tough game coming into it.“
He added: “We got a little out of control for a bit, but when we needed big plays we got them in key moments.“
Leading the Dragons in this game was Lamb with 10 points, Tiarra Towles added 8, and Cave had 7.
At press time on Tuesday,  February 10,  the Lady Dragons had just ended its last regular season game, winning, against Monticello by a score of 59-36.
High scorers included Lamb at 16 points and Towles at 14.
With the win, the team clinched the district for the regular season.
“It’s the first time we’ve won the Jefferson District regular season title,” said Activities Director Katie Brunelle.
More details on the Monticello game in next week’s Record.