Kendall Ballard scored the go-ahead basket with less than five seconds to go and the Charlottesville girls basketball team defeated Powhatan, 52-51, in the semifinals of the Jefferson District tournament.
Powhatan defeated the Black Knights by 12 points two times during the regular season and were on pace to beat them a third time —until the final 13 seconds of the game.
The Indians were up one and attempting the run the clock out at midcourt when London Todd forced a Powhatan backcourt violation and gave the Black Knights a chance to win. With time winding down, Ballard received the ball in the lane and laid it in to give CHS the lead with 4.6 seconds remaining.
“The play was designed to feed the ball to Sidney [Calloway] inside,” Ballard said. “Obviously that did not work out and I just got the ball and shot it. My heart was pounding and I so nervous.”
Powhatan’s Hannah Livermon, the Jefferson District player of the year, was fouled 75 feet from the basket, giving the Indians a chance to win the game at the foul line. Livermon missed the front end of a 1-1 and Powhatan could not get a follow up shot off in time, sealing an emotional win for the Black Knights.
“The coaches and I had been begging for 32 minutes of solid basketball and we finally got it,” CHS coach Deanna Mitchelson-Shaver said. “There was no blaming if there was a mistake. We just hustled back on defense and we were patient on offense with the ball. I’m really proud of the girls tonight.”
The Black Knights were a three-headed monster on offense. Todd led the way with 15 points, while Calloway and Monique Perkins each added 13.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, CHS took control of the game in the second. The Black Knights closed the half on a 15-6 run and built an 11-point halftime lead.
Powhatan opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run and tied the game at 32.
“After halftime, we came out and it was foul, turnover, turnover,” Mitchelson-Shaver said. “They dropped into a 2-3 defense and we just had to be patient with the ball.”
The game would be tied twice more, and the lead would change five times before the frantic finish.
The Black Knights advance to the Jefferson District Championship game with the win. CHS will advance to the regionals with a win over Monticello on Friday night, a feat that seemed unlikely just a week ago.
“We’re very excited,” Mitchelson-Shaver said. “We have great team chemistry. No one wanted yesterday to be the last practice, and nobody wanted tonight to be the last game.”
Added Ballard: “This is a clean slate and we started over. This gives us so much energy and we’re ready.”
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