Black Knights win girls title

Back in a familiar position on Friday night, the Charlottesville girls basketball team did what it does best — win district tournament titles.

The Black Knights looked like a team on a mission against William Monroe in the Jefferson District final and knocked off the top-seeded Greene Dragons, 47-37, to capture the tournament crown behind a gritty performance from senior leader Shawntae Payne.

Payne finished with a game-high 15 points, including a nifty layup to put the finishing touches on the Dragons as time expired.

“I’m very happy — it’s very gratifying to end the last district game with a win,” said Charlottesville coach Harry Terrell, who has guided his team to the tournament final every year since the Jefferson District was formed. “[Shawntae] did a great job running the offense. For the most part, she made good decisions. She was a true leader out there. She kept her composure throughout the whole entire game and she wanted to work real hard on defense. When she does that, she’s really tough.”

Charlottesville (17-7) will likely get a bye in the first round of the Region II tournament next week and possibly will host a semifinal game Thursday. William Monroe (18-6), the regular–season champion, will host a region quarterfinal game next Tuesday.

William Monroe kept it close the entire first half. In fact, Charlottesville’s biggest lead was five points, which the Dragons cut to three (24-21) by halftime with a basket from Bethany Leake (nine points).

Leake, who was matched up against Payne defensively, kept the senior guard from getting into a rhythm early.

But Payne picked up the intensity in the second half, scoring eight of her 15 points after the break to help her team pull away. She scored her team’s opening basket of the third quarter after a quick steal and the Black Knights never relinquished the lead again.

Charlottesville tightened its defense in the second half — in fact, William Monroe was limited to six points in the third quarter.

The Black Knights also controlled the boards, preventing the Dragons from getting many second-chance shots.

Charlottesville also held Melanie Lamb, the district player of the year, to three points. The senior guard was battling flu-like symptoms throughout the game, according to William Monroe coach Philip Lamb.

“That was the most important thing,” Terrell said of his team’s defense on Lamb. “We know she’s a catalyst for them and we have to be aware of where she is at all times and make her put the ball on the floor, make her work hard.”

William Monroe cut a 10-point deficit to six after back-to-back baskets from Alex Cave with two minutes to play, but was unable to get any closer.

“I thought it boiled down to that they made shots and we just had a hard time shooting the ball tonight,” Lamb said. “We’re not done playing basketball. It was special for us to be here. I told them to enjoy the moment of being here, and I think they were able to do that. We’ll bounce back.”

Payne had some help from fellow senior Tanyqua Williams, who added 11 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.

Sophomore Olivia Levine had a productive outing as well, grabbing 11 rebounds (eight defensive) to go along with her eight points. Jasmine Jones also chipped in eight points.

Leah Krynitsky paced William Monroe with 10 points, eight rebounds and several blocks.