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A Little Normal: Western girls hold off Albemarle in rivalry clash

In a challenging time filled with uncertainty, a closely contested high school girls basketball game between bitter rivals felt particularly normal. 

 

Following Western Albemarle’s intense 40-38 home victory over Albemarle on Tuesday night, Western Albemarle head coach Kris Wright pointed out that simple fact.

 

“It’s always fun to win,” Wright said. “It’s fun to win in rivalry games, especially, right? It was competitive. That felt kind of normal. How much fun was it to have something normal? First time in a really long time in terms of high school sports.” 

 

Despite not having the energy usually provided by a large crowd in a rivalry game, the Patriots and Warriors brought all the intensity needed to produce some fireworks in a game that was close from start to finish, with neither team leading by more than five points. 

 

Following her 21-point performance on Saturday against Monticello, Amaya Pendleton once again led Albemarle with 17 points, including a buzzer-beating layup to give the Patriots a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

 

“She is just so confident,” Albemarle head coach Rachel Proudfoot said. “I want her to stay that way. I think she is willing to take the team on her shoulders which is a great thing to have.” 

 

Western Albemarle had some difficulty breaking the Albemarle press in the first half, and the Patriots were able to get more than a few opportunities in transition in the second quarter, helping themselves to a 6-0 run. 

 

After a timeout, Western Albemarle responded aggressively, driving to the basket and making several trips to the free throw line. The Patriots went on a 7-0 run of their own in the second quarter to tie the game. At halftime, the score was knotted at 14. 

 

Both teams tried repeatedly to score by driving to the basket and Amaya Pendleton scored layups on two consecutive possessions to start the second half. However, it was the perimeter shooting of Western Albemarle freshman Ava Ewen which gave the Warriors a critical advantage. Ewen sunk four threes, three of which came in the second half, and finished with 16 points. 

 

“Our kids do a really good job of sharing the ball,” Wright said. “When the ball got to her and she was open, she’s expected to shoot them and she did.” 

 

Largely due to Ava Ewen’s eight third-quarter points, the Warriors took a 35-30 lead into the final frame. 

 

Both teams increased their defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, especially in the final few minutes. With three and a half minutes remaining, Western Albemarle held a 40-36 lead. Neither team scored a point until Amaya Pendleton made a layup as time expired in regulation, and the Warriors escaped with the 40-38 victory over the Patriots, Albemarle’s second-straight loss. 

 

“They just need to stay resilient and stay hopeful,” Proudfoot said. “We [were] in both ball games… Just stay confident and know that the work is being done.” 

 

Up next, Albemarle plays host to Harrisonburg on Wednesday night, while Western Albemarle travels to Orange County the same night. 

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