An exemplary effort on both sides of the ball was the formula for Lafayette’s girls basketball team as the No. 5-seeded Rams ran past No. 4 Jamestown 59-40 on the Eagles’ home court.
Lafayette executed its offense to near perfection, shooting an efficient 23-38 from the floor while committing just eight turnovers. Defensively, a handful of Rams players chipped in to completely shut down Jamestown’s all-district point guard Aaliyah Lyttle, which kept the Eagles’ offense out of sync all night long.
“This was by far the best game we played all year,” Lafayette coach PJ Piggott said. “Between our execution, decision making and turnovers, everything we’ve needed to get better at we did tonight.”
There was also an unsung hero.
Rams sophomore Megan Wiltshire, who spent half of the season playing on the JV squad, scored 13 of her game-high 16 points in the first half as Lafayette opened up a commanding 34-18 lead at the break.
After burying one 3-point bucket to close out the opening quarter and give the Rams a 16-7 lead, Wiltshire found her touch from outside and erupted for 10 second-quarter points as Lafayette (10-10) padded its lead. The only shot Wiltshire missed in the first half was a last-second heave that she had to force but was deflected out of bounds.
“It was a big game, and of course it was Jamestown, so I was just trying to go out there and give it my all,” Wiltshire said. “Hitting my first few shots helped me find my rhythm.”
Added Piggott, “She was our spark tonight for sure, but it didn’t surprise me. She’s proved that she can shoot and be a scorer when given the opportunity.”
Point guard Kenya Holiday, who scored just four points but was effective penetrating and setting up her teammates for eight assists, did an excellent job managing the Rams offense, while Indyah Brown (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Desiree Jones (13 points) had strong games as well.
Jamestown (11-8) never recovered after falling behind early, largely because Lyttle was unable to get anything going. Piggott said in the previous two meetings against their rivals, he thought his team’s box-and-one defense never really slowed down Lyttle because the Rams kept one player on her all game.
So on Tuesday, Libby Bland, Alicia Lee, Wiltshire and Grace Macomber all took turns chasing Lyttle around, and the Eagles point guard struggled mightily, scoring just five points on 2-12 shooting from the floor.
“Aaliyah is a great player, so our game plan was centered around containing her,” Piggott said. “Even when she’s not scoring, she’s still a threat when she has the ball because of her ability to penetrate and create. We were just physical with her, and I think that wore her down.”
Lafayette’s 34-18 halftime lead ballooned to 48-28 after the third period as the Rams methodically worked the ball around the perimeter and inside to Brown and Jones.
Aine Cannon was aggressive for Jamestown in the third and fourth quarters when she scored all of her team-high 10 points, but the Eagles simply had no answer on the defensive end for the Rams. Of Lafayette’s six scorers on the night, five finished with at least seven points or more.
The Rams move on to face No. 1 Grafton in Thursday’s semis. Both Lafayette and Jamestown will advance to next week’s Region I playoffs.
Lafayette 59 Jamestown 40
Lafayette- 16 18 14 11 – 59
Jamestown- 7 11 10 12 – 40
Lafayette (10-10)- Wiltshire 16, Jones 13, Brown 12, Lee 7, Bland 7, Holiday 4. Totals 23 8-11; 59.
Jamestown (11-8)- Cannon 10, Hecker 9, Mclaughlin 7, Lyttle 5, Weisflog 5, Petrop 3. Totals 13 8-9; 40.
Tabb 42 Smithfield 39 (OT)
Brooke Mahan led the way with 16 points, but point guard Erin Fenton’s five free throws in the extra period were the difference as No. 6 Tabb upset No. 3 Smithfield in overtime Tuesday.
The Tigers (12-11) outscored the host Packers 21-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime periods combined.
Grafton 96 Warhill 39
Hannah Olson led all scorers with 19 points, Emily Beyer finished with 17 and Christa Hall finished with 16 as top-seeded Grafton (21-2) cruised past No. 8 Warhill at home.
Aquazia Jones and Kasey Grainer paced the Lions (6-14) with 12 points apiece.
Poquoson 47 Bruton 37
No. 7 Bruton appeared poised to pull off the upset in jumping out to a 15-2 advantage after the first quarter before second-seeded Poquoson, led by Sydney Turner’s 12 points, stormed back to take a two-point lead (25-23) at the half.
Bruton (6-15) led by Erika Sluss’ 11 points and Alexis Calloway’s 11, was outscored 22-14 the rest of the way.
Thursday’s Semifinals
No. 1 Grafton vs. No. 5 Lafayette, Grafton High, 7 p.m.
No. 2 Poquoson vs. No. 6 Tabb, Poquoson High, 7 p.m.
