BUCKINGHAM – The Buckingham County High School boys basketball team passed the halfway mark of the James River District calendar on Tuesday night. The Knights' 64-43 victory over Amelia County went about the way one would figure given the teams' respective places in the standings.

Though it was enough to get the job done, it also wasn't one of Buckingham's more inspired performances.

“We started out well, but then let them get back into the game,” said BCHS head coach Russ Gowin. “We started to settle for too many tough shots. I can think of two times that we passed up a great shot to take a lesser shot. I guess that's a case of being a little too unselfish, which, I guess, is not the worst problem to have.

“I am pleased, though, with how we came out in the second half and put things away.”

The third quarter, which has been the Knights' best quarter all season, once again was where the hosts put the game out of reach. After jumping out to a 13-0 lead midway through the first quarter, Amelia cut the Buckingham lead to five before trailing 28-21 at the break. The Knights (13-1, 7-1 JRD) put together a strong, 16-7, third quarter to break the game open.

Senior guard Tariq Bartee was fouled on a stickback and converted the three-point-play with 2:20 left in the third to give the Knights a 38-25 advantage.

That sparked a 9-3 Buckingham run over the remainder of the quarter, capped by a Harold Stanton jumper with 25 seconds remaining.

A three-pointer by Bartee with 7:42 left to play gave BCHS a 47-28 lead. After that, Buckingham began to substitute liberally.

The reserves did a good job of maintaining the comfortable lead. Stephon Chambers scored seven fourth quarter points to help keep the Raiders from making a serious comeback attempt.

“I am glad that we got to let everyone get some good playing time,” said Gowin. “They came in and held their own and showed that they were excited to get some substantial playing time. It's human nature to press and try to do too much when you get a chance, but they didn't do that which, in turn, allowed them to give a better performance.”

The Knights were led in scoring by Dre Scott, who had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Bartee added 13 points and Cam Johnson scored ten points. Tim Randolph scored eight and pulled down seven rebounds, while Kyree Koonce also tallied seven rebounds.

Buckingham stepped out of the district on Wednesday night, and without the services of two starters, managed to pull out a 64-54 road victory over Dogwood District representative Appomattox.

Buckingham, which trailed 18-14 after the first quarter, led 29-28 at the half, and outscored the Raiders 20-9 in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Johnson led the Knights with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while freshman Leon Ragland added a career-high 18 points. Justin Ayers narrowly missed on a double-double with eight points and ten rebounds, while Dre Scott scored ten points and pulled down six boards. Kyree Koonce was credited with four steals in the winning effort.

“I really have to credit the efforts of [assistant coach] Buck Gough,” said Gowin. “He's done a great job with our offense this season and making adjustments throughout the season and at the half. The kids are getting more and more fluid with his system, and I can see improvement each time we take the floor.”

Buckingham was scheduled to host Nottoway on Friday night, weather permitting, and will travel to Randolph-Henry on Tuesday night.

Fuqua 72, Southampton

Academy 68

Playing without a full deck, the Fuqua School boys basketball team held off a full-strength Southampton Academy squad 72-68 on Tuesday night at Gilmer Gymnasium.

The Falcons (9-5, 6-1 VCC), who played most of the way without Antonio Gonzalez, who was under the weather, got three late points from the junior point guard who started the game on the bench in street clothes.

The Falcons led 18-12 at the end of the first quarter and 40-30 at the break, before the Raiders chipped away at the Fuqua lead late.

Southampton Academy pulled to within a point at 63-62 with 1:54 remaining in the contest, before the Falcons pulled out the four-point victory. Gonzalez, who rode a stationary bike on the sideline much of the game, dressed and checked in with 2:38 left. He hit three of four foul shots down the stretch to help the Falcons pull away.

Fuqua was led in scoring by Al Baker, who had 18 points and five assists on the evening. Davis Cyrus added 16 points, while Boris Ngundji narrowly missed on a double-double with 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Carter Cunningham added eight points and five assists for the Falcons, who have won three of their last four contests.

Fuqua was scheduled to travel to Kenston Forest on Friday, weather permitting. Saturday's scheduled home boys and girls varsity games against Alliance Christian were cancelled on Thursday afternoon.

PECMS 42, Fuqua 19

The Prince Edward County Middle School boys basketball team defeated Fuqua School 42-19 at home over the weekend.

The Eagles were led by Kevon Braxton, who had ten points and Markeem Trent, who had seven points.

Fuqua was led by Tanner Cyrus and Hunter Gilliam, who had six points apiece.