By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Still playoff bound
It was a game between two strong teams. The Fluco girls came in on Feb. 2 with a 14-4 record. The visiting Trailblazers from Spotswood High came in at 16-3. Unfortunately, the Trailblazers scored the first 12 points of the game and although the Flucos closed the margin at first, they just gradually fell further behind, ultimately losing 60-37. The Fluco girls have some strong players but in basketball it is hard to beat an opponent that has the strongest player on the court. That was the problem in this game. Spotswood boasted a 6-1 tall senior guard who is committed to play at the Division 1 level for VCU and has been nominated for McDonald’s All-American recognition. Fluco Coach Josh McElheny commented after the game that, “we held her in the 20s.”
In the second half of the opening quarter, the Flucos bounced back to outscore Spotswood 9-5. So, the quarter ended with Spotswood leading by eight. Senior Aniah Webb led the Fluco’s mini-comeback with a three-pointer and a couple of driving baskets. In the second quarter, the Flucos scored nine again, as Webb had two driving baskets and senior Abby Seal added a three-point bomb. Unfortunately, nine points was not enough as the Trailblazers scored 14 for a 31-15 half-time lead.
In the third quarter, the Flucos got their offense in gear and put up 17 points. Senior Alana Carter-Johnson led the way in this quarter, with eight points. Sophomore Ikeena Spruill added five. Spotswood, however, really turned on the heat, scoring 27 in the quarter for a 23-point lead, putting the game firmly out of reach. Both coaches went to their benches and there was little scoring in fourth quarter. There is no time clock in high school basketball and the Trailblazers held the ball through most of the final stanza.
Despite this loss, the Flucos have a strong record and McElheny said that a spot in the playoffs is virtually certain. The place and time of the first game is still to be determined. The Fluco girls hosted Louisa County on Feb. 3, and Western Albemarle on Feb. 6. Their final regular season game was on Feb. 8, at Monticello High.
The leading scorers in this game were Webb with 13 and Carter-Johnson with nine. Spruill and freshman Molly McCall chipped in with five each. This season, the Flucos relied heavily on a quartet of seniors, including Webb, Carter-Johnson, Seal and Tatyana Turner who did most of the scoring and were strong defenders. McElheny will have to look to Spruill and McCalll next year, and to some of the young players on this year’s roster that did not get a lot of playing time.
