The James River girls hosted Northside Monday in a basketball doubleheader with the boys and came away with a 54-39 win. It was the third straight win for the Knights as they improved to 10-8 with the non-district victory.
This one was over early as River jumped to a 16-3 lead in the first quarter, then upped the advantage to 16 points, 33-17, at the half. River led by 24 after three quarters before the Vikings made it a little closer in “garbage time.”
“A strong first and third quarter defense was the turning point in the game,” said River coach Donald Eggleston.
Audrey Benson led James River with 14 points in a balanced attack. Siera Davis had 10 points and three girls had half a dozen, Kelsi Maydian, Jalen Thompsen and Ella Hutchens. River was a solid 16 for 22 from the free throw line as a team.
Last week at Glenvar the Knights eased to a Three Rivers District win, 64-35. Again they jumped up early, leading the Highlanders 20-9 after the first quarter and 37-20 at the half. Gillian Smith led River with 16 points while Davis and Maydian had 11 each, Thompson had eight and Benson chipped in seven.
“A strong offensive and defensive performance was the key to victory,” said Eggleston. “Making six three-pointers early in the first half set the tone for our shooting.”
The Knights were scheduled to play at Floyd County Tuesday followed by home games with Radford on Thursday and Patrick County on Friday.
Photos by Leigh Downey
