The James River girls saw their season come to an end on Monday night in the first round of the Conference 38 basketball tournament. The girls fell to the fourth seeded Highlanders at Glenvar, 53-29.

This game was closer than the score indicates, as River was down by just four points at the half. However, the girls got in some foul trouble in the second half and Glenvar took the win.

“I told our girls to try and be aggressive and get to the foul line and get some of their key players in foul trouble,” said coach Mark Eubank. “We executed that part of the game plan but didn’t convert from the foul line.

“We also got in a little foul trouble ourselves, but that wasn’t the reason we lost the game. They killed us on the offensive glass. We had 10 offensive rebounds of our own but I would bet money that they had 20 or more offensive rebounds.”

Brenna Eubank led the Knights with eight points. River was just seven for 21 from the free throw line as the girls finished the season 1-20 in Eubank’s first year as coach.

“Plenty of times I told the team that it isn’t how we start the season but how we finished,” said Eubank. “We definitely finished the season better than we started, but it would have been nice to get a few more wins when we had the opportunity.

“I was pleased with how the team went about the season regardless of the record we had.  I think most people would agree that we progressed in the right direction. However, the district is going to be even more competitive when Alleghany and Carroll County join next year. We have to invest the time in the off season in order to see any more progression going forward.”