Amelia Academy Lady Patriots Basketball with Three Wins
By Malinda Shanaberger
The Amelia Academy Lady Patriots put up huge numbers in three victories on the hardwood this past week. It started with a victory at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot on Monday, December 5, followed by back-to-back wins against Richmond Christian and Middleburg Academy over the weekend.
On Monday night, the Lady Patriots found themselves tied with BSH 8-8 after the first quarter. However, a 23-8 second quarter run gave them a 31-16 cushion at halftime and a lead they would never relinquish. Amelia Academy would use a combination of 1-3-1 zone and man defense in the second half for a 70-31 victory in this Virginia Commonwealth Conference (VCC) game.
The Lady Patriots were led by senior Lauren V., who had 26 points, 18 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Fellow senior Amara E. had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. Junior point guard Megan J. had a triple double with 13 points, 10 assists and 10 steals. Junior Kristyn C. had 8 points, including 2 treys.
On Friday night, Amelia Academy used their trademark full court press and transition offense against fellow VCC member Richmond Christian to open up a 24-0 lead in the first quarter. Every Lady Patriot player would score on the night, including two JV players, dressing out to give the team 9 players, in the 106-40 home opener.
Amelia Academy had five players in double figures, led by Amara’s 23 points and 8 rebounds. Megan just missed a quadruple double with 22 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 8 steals. Lauren had 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Freshman Chelsea D. and sophomore Casey V. each added 11 points and 6 and 5 rebounds respectively. Kristyn had 9 points on 3 treys and fellow junior Darlene H. added 6 points, 7 steals and 5 assists. Sophomore Autumn M. and eighth-grader Emma B., both JV players, had 4 and 2 points respectively. Autumn had 6 rebounds and 2 assists, while Emma had 3 steals, 2 rebounds and a block.
On Saturday, the Lady Patriots headed to Miller School to play Middleburg Academy in Miller’s College Showcase and came away with a 79-42 win. After a sluggish first half, Amelia Academy got it going in the second half with tighter defense and their fast break attack.
Megan led all scorers with 20 points and had 10 assists for the third straight game. She also had 6 rebounds, 4 steals and was a perfect 11-11 from the foul line. Lauren had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks and Amara added 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, while both played through early foul trouble. Chelsea had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Coach Frank Shanaberger said, “We have played well in spurts so far. We are still working through some early season glitches and stressing to the girls to put together four solid quarters every night and to never underestimate an opponent. We are getting solid play from our four returning starters (Amara, Lauren, Darlene and Kristyn) and what Megan brings us at the point guard position will create very tough matchup problems for teams. She has the ability to take you off the dribble or spot up and shoot and if you are open she will find you. We are also getting valuable minutes from our girls coming off the bench. I am excited about how far this group of girls can go this season,” added Shanaberger, whose team won the VCC title before losing in the VIS Division III state semifinals last year.
The Lady Patriots (4-1 overall, 2-0 VCC) will take a break from ball to focus on exams this week. They will return to the court as they travel over Christmas to participate in the Holidays on the Hardwood Christmas Tournament in Cherokee, North Carolina on December 28-30.
Standing Left to Right: Coach Malinda Shanaberger, Meghan F., Kristyn C., Lauren V., Casey V., Amara E. and Coach Frank Shanaberger
Kneeling Left to Right: Chelsea D., Rickylyn C., Megan J., Holly S., Darlene H. and Autumn M.
DAR Good Citizenship Award winner Austin A.
Senior Holly S. receives her certificate for third place in the VFW Voice of Democracy Contest from Mr. Paul Blythe.