Major Defeat! Culpeper Downs Vikings 57-49
PURCELLVILLE, VA - When the dust settled, the Loudoun Valley Vikings were left kicking themselves for missing an opportunity to stay tied for first place in the Cedar Run District after falling 57-49 to Culpeper on Friday night. The Vikings played well in the first half and led by 6 points at the half 29-23, but they were outscored 34-20 in the second half to fall to 14-5 overall and 8-4 in the district standings.
Culpeper was led by guard Kyle Majors (20 points) and center Solomon Francis (15 points). Majors knocked home two big three pointers in the 3rd period that helped Culpeper pull away, and Francis played strong all night long on the boards. Valley's Cody Swain scored a team high 21 points but other than Swain, the Vikings struggled to knock down open shots when they needed it most. Senior Josh Mallory played well but fouled out with 4 minutes left in the game. Sixth man Jango Degree put together an impressive performance on defense with several steals, and the sophomore sensation also converted several tough shots over defenders. Degree is starting to turn it on and could see more playing time in the near future as tournament time approaches for the Vikings.
Valley has two games left on its regular season schedule as they will travel to Fauquier on Tuesday and will finish with Stonewall Jackson next Friday. Culpeper is now a half game behind district leader Osborn Park who has a 9-3 district record in comparison to Culpeper's 9-4 district record. The winner of the Cedar Run District will receive an automatic first round berth in the regional basketball tournament.
Chick-Fil-A Players of the Game:
Cody Swain - Loudoun Valley Center
Swain played outstanding in the paint, scoring 21 points to lead the Vikings in scoring. Swain also had several blocks on the defensive end of the court.
Kyle Majors - Culpeper Guard
Majors was a dominating presence all night long as well, finishing with 20 points and he was also the leading scorer for the Blue Devils. His consecutive 3 pointers made in the second half helped Culpeper pull away in the game.
Game Notes:
Putting the Clamp Down!
Loudoun Valley's leading scorer this season Josh Mallory (16 points per game) was held to just 5 points in this contest. Mallory played well on defense and had several assists, but eventually fouled out in the final minutes of the game.
Surging Blue Devils!
Culpeper started the second half on a 8-2 run and eventually blew the game open after Majors hit consecutive three point shots. Valley never regained the lead.
Free Throws Equate To Big Things!
The Blue Devils went to the line 25 times in the game and converted over half of their chances. On the contrary, the Vikings only stepped to the line 3 times, making just one of them.
