The James River girls had their initiation into the Three River District last week and it didn’t go very well. The Knights lost to both Giles and Glenvar to remain winless after 10 games.

River is the new member in the Three Rivers, a district renown for strong basketball. The Knights got off to a slow start and never recovered in Wednesday’s game in Springwood.

“We had an extremely slow start that set the tone for the rest of the game,” said River coach Mark Eubank. “They shot the ball well by hitting five three-pointers and got off to a good start in the first half by scoring 30 points compared to our nine. Our focus and energy was not there for whatever reason and I take full responsibility for that. We have to play hard every single night to give ourselves a chance to win games.”

On Friday the Knights were at Glenvar and they lost again, 56-28, but they played much better.

“The energy and intensity were completely different in this game,” said Eubank. “The girls played with the intensity they are capable of playing with. Some things didn’t go our way throughout the game with injuries and foul trouble. It made us small on the floor and they definitely have some size, even with their guards.”

Kaitlyn Johnson and Rachel Kickuth had six points each to lead the Knights. The Knights got to the foul line 26 times, making 12.

“Getting to the line that many times shows we were attacking and being aggressive,” said Eubank. “We didn’t make excuses and I was very proud of the way we fought through until the very end.”

The Knights are scheduled to play a non-district game at Alleghany tonight. On Friday they’re at Floyd County for another Three Rivers District game.