PALMYRA — You wouldn’t guess by the final score Thursday night, but after beating Spotsylvania 67-25 the Fluvanna coaching staff still could find things to work on.
“In the first quarter, we definitely set basketball backwards,” FCHS head coach Munro Rateau said jokingly.
It was a sloppy start to the game for both squads. The Flucos were held without a field goal throughout the entire first quarter, limited to just four points, and didn’t score their first field goal until 5:13 in the second quarter.
On the Knights’ side, they didn’t score until 2:13 left in the first quarter on a 3-pointer, leaving the first quarter score at 4-3 Flucos.
“We did some individual stuff in the first quarter that didn’t help us get into a rhythm offensively,” said Rateau.
The second quarter was when the Flucos found their stride. They slowly gained momentum by forcing turnovers and pushing it in transition. Senior YaYa Anderson led the way for the Flucos with nine of their 23 second quarter points.
“It’s all mental,” said senior forward Jake Smith. “Once we start making the right passes, not rushing our shots and they’ll start to fall.”
The second half was more of the same. Tight defense on the side of the Flucos kept the Knights from establishing any solid run. They also held Spotsylvania to an average of just over six points per quarter.
In scoring their 67 points, the Flucos shared the wealth. Anderson finished with 16 points and seven assists, and Smith put together a solid game shooting 4-5 from the field with nine points and six rebounds. Sophomore Dorian Butler dropped ten points while Taylor Lintecum, Jalen Harrison, and Vinny Agee all had six points.
“I thought we all played well as a team,” said Smith after the game.
However, if you were to ask one of the coaches, they would tell you there is plenty of work to be done. The Flucos finished the game with 12 turnovers and still had the first quarter without a field goal.
“We can’t do that, because when we get into district play, we’re going to dig a hole that we can’t get out of,” said Rateau.
Next for the Flucos is at Kettle Run on Saturday Dec. 17. Their next home game is a quadruple header featuring the Fluvanna girls’ basketball program. The marathon of games is on Dec. 21, starting with girls’ jv basketball at 1 p.m. All games are against Kettle Run.
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