Wildcat Girls Rallied From Nine-Point Deficit
Despite battling back from a nine-point deficit to force overtime, the Rockbridge County High School girls basketball team came up short 45-40 to James River in the season opener on Tuesday of last week Lexington.
After outscoring the Knights 8-0 in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 33-33, the Wildcats went up 40-36 in the first two minutes of the four-minute overtime period, going on a 5-0 run on an inside basket from Madison Mangione and then a 3-pointer from Des Butler.
The Knights responded with a pair of free throws from Kelsi Maydian and then an inside basket from Keira Crawford to tie the game at 40. Between those two plays, the Wildcats lost Lola Mulitalo, who fouled out after scoring nine points and leading RC with 14 rebounds, grabbing five steals and blocking one shot. JR then scored off three RC turnovers, with two inside baskets and a free throw, to seal the win.
Assessing his team’s performance, RC head coach Darrell Plogger said, “Our effort was good enough to win. Our execution was not. We can’t keep turning the ball over.”
Both teams had trouble taking care of the ball, with the Wildcats committing 27 turnovers and the Knights turning the ball over 29 times.
JR led for most of the game, taking a 12-4 lead at the end of the first quarter when Siera Davis hit a 3-pointer. In the second quarter, RC went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to one, but the Knights maintained a small lead for the rest of the half, taking a 19-17 advantage into halftime.
The Knights built a ninepoint lead in the third quarter, getting to the free throw line often and taking advantage of RC turnovers. In the fourth quarter, RC gradually battled back from a 33-25 deficit by forcing turnovers, and a pair of inside baskets by Natalie Samante sent the game into overtime.
Samante led RC with 10 points and had three steals. Also contributing were Butler and Genesis McCoy with six points each, with McCoy grabbing five rebounds and Butler stealing the ball three times. Butler made both of the Wildcats’ 3-pointers, but RC shot just 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from the beyond the arc.
Mangione scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds for RC, and Bella Dorey led the Wildcats with eight steals and four assists and chipped in four points. Mangione and Dorey both fouled out late in the game.
Audrey Benson paced the Knights with 11 points, while Davis and Jalen Thompson added nine points each, and Maydian chipped in seven.
The Wildcats committed 29 personal fouls, resulting in JR getting to the free throw line 40 times, shooting 57.5 percent (23-of-40). JR committed just three fouls, and the Wildcats shot 2-of-5 (40 percent) from the foul line.
Reviewing the night, Plogger said, “We made too many mistakes. A catch and a jump stop and pivot would’ve gone a long way toward winning that game.”
Plogger said he looked forward to having more practice time last week. “I think we’ve had maybe two days where I’ve had 10 players in practice,” he said. “It all goes back to, everybody’s got to show up and come to work, and we didn’t do it.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to start Shenandoah District action at home against Staunton last night and will travel to Buchanan for a rematch with James River tonight, Wednesday, at 7, before returning to district action at Waynesboro on Friday at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, the Wildcats will play host to district rival Stuarts Draft at 6 p.m.
Moving forward, Plogger said, “We’ve got to get better.”
ABOVE, Surrounded by James River defenders, RC sophomore forward Madison Mangione takes the ball toward the basket. Mangione scored four points and pulled down seven rebounds. AT RIGHT, Wildcat junior guard Lexi Samante dribbles down the court while closely guarded. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
RC SENIOR forward Lola Mulitalo goes up for a shot while teammates Des Butler (30) and Natalie Samante (far right) watch. Mulitalo led the Wildcats with 14 rebounds, scored nine points and had five steals and a block. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
