By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco boys basketball team scored its fourth straight win on Dec. 8, topping the Chargers from Chancellor High in Fredericksburg 69-62. It was the Fluco’s first home game, as they started the season with three road wins. Coach Heath Bralley described it as “not our best game.” The Flucos led throughout though, playing a fast, pressing game, while also connecting on three-point shots.
The Flucos took control early as stand-out senior guards Bobbie Gardner and Lance Bruce led the way. The Flucos led in the first quarter 8-2, then 16-6 and finished the quarter with a ten-point lead of 23-13. The scoring was mostly from Gardner as he contributed 11 of his 27 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Flucos got a little sloppy and the Chargers made a bit of a comeback outscoring the Flucos in the quarter by 17-12. The score was 35-30 at the half. In the third quarter, the teams played evenly with the Flucos winning the quarter 16-15. Gardner had two three-point baskets in both quarters.
The fourth quarter started with Fluco sophomore center Ben Denby hitting junior guard Chazz Barksdale-White with a nice pass for a lay-up. Barksdale-White scored again as did senior guard Tyler Coleman and the Flucos led by eleven. Lance scored three baskets for six of his 21 points as the Flucos fought off attempts by the Chargers to get back into the game. But the Chargers never cut the margin to less than seven points.
The Fluco big men Denby and Kenyon Smith did not score a lot of points, but they rebounded and defended well against a team with five players listed at 6’2″ to 6’5″. In addition to scoring, Bruce and Gardner flew around the Munro Rateau Court on defense and the Flucos recorded a number of steals and blocked shots. While Gardner and Bruce piled up most of the points for the Flucos, Bralley showed off what may prove to be a deep bench as the game wore on. Once the Flucos start meeting Jefferson District foes, a solid core of reserves is likely to be important.
The Fluco boys hosted Buckingham County High School on Dec. 8 and traveled to Albemarle County High for their first Jefferson District game on Dec. 13. On Dec. 16 they will be back home to host Orange County High in their first home game in Jefferson District play.
