With nothing truly certain this season, William Monroe’s boys basketball team knows they’ve got to maximize every opportunity.
With a 55-35 blowout victory over Culpeper and senior Logan Barbour crossing the 1,000-point mark for his career, the Dragons definitely took advantage of the chance to play Monday night.
Franklin Lindsay led the way for the Dragons with 15 points while Tucker Shifflett chipped in 14 points, giving William Monroe enough offense to cash in on a stifling defensive performance that held the Blue Devils to just 12 first half points.
Barbour crossed the 1,000-point mark with a pair of free throws early in the win, a milestone for the senior combo guard who has been an impact player since he was a freshman for the Dragons. Barbour missed significant time last year with an injury that delayed reaching that mark into the opening moments of this strange season.
“It felt great to get across that 1,000-point line and honestly I’m just thankful to be out here playing,” Barbour said. “I’ve been working hard since freshman year to get to this point.”
Reaching that mark was part of a night where Barbour scored just seven points — well off his usual output — but dished out eight assists and hauled in nine rebounds. That well-rounded approach is par for the course for a player that has consistently led the Dragons in several statistical categories over the years and earned All-Northwestern District honors all three seasons so far and a first team All-Region 3B nod a year ago.
“All the teams I’ve played with since freshman year, we’ve been like family,” Barbour said. “So I appreciate everybody who’s been there during this journey.”
The Dragons’ defensive effort was evident in the final score as they held Culpeper to an average of less than 10 points per quarter including the four-point second that put the Blue Devils into a deep 29-12 hole at the half. But the offense was workman-like with just a single 3-pointer on the night, by Shifflett. Instead of the long ball, balance gave Monroe a lift with Troy Jones chipping in eight points and Blake Shifflett notching six points.
The Dragons will look to get a second game in Wednesday when they travel to Skyline for a 3:30 p.m. start.
