By Duncan Nixon, correspondent
In the penultimate game of the regular season, the Fluvanna County girls’ basketball team traveled to Louisa County High on Feb. 1, beating the Lions 47-38 and holding onto second place in the District.
Photo by Deborah Nixon
As has been the case all season, the Flucos were led by shooting guard Nevaeh Ivory. Ivory was, in the words of Coach Chad White, “unstoppable.” She drives to the basket as relentlessly as James Harden, and the results are quite similar. Ivory, a junior, is not tall, but she is strong and very agile, able to make lay-ups in traffic from angles and positions that most players her age could not hope to convert.
In the first quarter, Ivory had three two-point baskets and a free throw; in the second quarter she scored 13 of the team’s 16 points. She made six two-point baskets and a free throw for 20 at halftime. In the second half, she had four more two-point baskets and a free throw for a total of 29 for the game.
Ivory was assisted very capably by junior forward Mya Wright, who White said has been “playing very well the past few weeks.” Wright sank a three-point shot in each of the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, she made an uncharacteristic coast to coast drive for a basket and then closed out the game with four for four from the line when the Lions were fouling to try to keep the Flucos from running out the clock.
Wright also was fierce on the boards, registering 10 rebounds for a double double (15 points and 10 rebounds). Junior point guard Jules Shepherd was steady as usual, contributing nine points and defensive pressure. Freshman center Khamare Steppe had some foul trouble that limited her playing time, but she pitched in with four.
The Flucos won each of the four quarters. In the first quarter, the Flucos took a 16-9 lead, but the Lions scored the last six points of the quarter to cut the lead to 16-15. As noted above, the second quarter was the Nevaeh Ivory show. The Flucos upped their lead to 32-26 with another 16-point quarter.
After the halftime break, the Flucos continued to keep the Lions at bay. Fluco scoring in the quarter was more balanced, as Ivory had five, Steppe had four, and Wright and Shepherd had three. The Flucos won the quarter 15-12, for an eight-point lead going into the final stanza. In the fourth quarter, the Flucos maintained their comfortable lead throughout. Wright led the way with six and Ivory had four. The Flucos won the quarter 12-11.
As has often been the case this season, the Fluco defense was strong. White has always emphasized defense, and his squad has a pregame drill where players pound the floor and chant “defense, defense.” The Flucos utilized a full court zone press for most of the game and it was very effective. The Lions did break the press on several occasions for easy baskets, but overall the press was extremely disruptive and resulted in the desired number of steals and turnovers. The Flucos were simply quicker and more athletic than the Lions.
The Fluco record is now 12-7 overall, and 10-3 in the Jefferson District. On Tuesday (Feb.5) they hosted Western Albemarle, the number one team in the Jefferson District, in the final game of the regular season. The Jefferson District playoffs will start immediately. The schedule is not yet set, but the Fluco girls will probably be playing at home Friday (Feb. 8). After that comes Region playoffs, and the State tournament. These playoffs are all win or go home.
