Amelia Academy Lady Patriots Bring Home Two Wins
2012, Jan 16 – The Lady Patriots of Amelia Academy rolled over two VCC opponents on the hard court last week to remain undefeated in league play. On Monday night, the Lady Patriots, ranked #2 in the Division III state poll, used strong first and third quarters to defeat Tidewater Academy 76-39. It was a combination of pressure defense and transition offense that led the way for Amelia Academy who had four players in double figures.
Junior point guard Megan J. just missed a triple double with 19 points, 10 assists and 8 steals. Senior Lauren V. had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Senior Amara E. had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Junior Kristyn C. had 11 points, including 3 treys, 3 blocks and 2 rebounds. Freshman Chelsea D. added 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.
Amelia Academy held the top two leading scorers for Tidewater Academy below their averages while mixing up pressure defense and tight zones. Offensively, the Lady Patriots took care of the ball with only 8 turnovers on the night.
On Friday night, a packed house saw the Lady Patriots blitz Fuqua School in the first half with man-to-man defense and their patented transition offense by a score of 48-13. But the crowd not only came to watch the Lady Patriots win, but also to witness Amara go over the 1,000-point mark in her career, which she reached with a foul shot in the first half.
Amelia Academy would stay in a 2-3 zone in the second half and cruise to a 77-46 victory. Chelsea would lead the way with 16 points, including 4 treys, and 4 rebounds. Kristyn added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 assists. Amara ended the night with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Lauren had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists. Megan also had 9 points, along with 6 assists and 2 steals. Junior Darlene H. had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Sophomore Casey V. had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior Holly S. and Sophomore Rickylyn C. would add 4 points each, as every Lady Patriot would score on the night.
Coach Frank Shanaberger said, “We did a nice job establishing what we wanted to do in both games early on. They (FS and TA) are the second and third place teams in the VCC. We didn’t want them to come into our gym and think they could beat us. I was happy with our defense when the games were still on the line, especially our man-to-man on Friday. We hadn’t really played much man defense and I thought it looked really good.”
Friday’s game carried the usual pre-game hype because it was against Fuqua School, but there was the added anticipation of Amara reaching the 1,000-point mark. Family, friends and fans in the stands had signs with Amara’s face on them to honor her.
Shanaberger said, “To reach the 1,000-point plateau is a special moment in anyone’s career. It had been the talk around school after our game on Monday. Our gym was buzzing with anticipation for Amara. No one deserves it more – she is a coach’s dream. She does whatever you ask her to do. Amara goes out and just plays the game the way it is supposed to be played night in and night out.”
The Lady Patriots (8-4, 5-0 VCC) host Brunswick Academy on Tuesday and then travel to Richmond Christian on Thursday.
Amelia Academy’s mascot cheerleaders ran out on the court with a special cheer to honor Amara E. when she hit her 1,000 point.