Buckingham County High School senior guard and 2018-19 district girls basketball Player of the Year Jayda Chambers smiled and hopped up and down excitedly as she approached the free throw line for two shots with 4.8 seconds left and a four-point lead in the district tournament championship game Monday night.

She knew the game and the title was in hand.

“Really it’s unbelievable because all these four years (on varsity) I’ve been waiting for this and to get James River District first place and to win the championship, it means a lot,” she said.

The Lady Knights earned the top seed in the tourney after clinching the James River District (JRD) regular season championship last week, and they paired that title with the tournament championship Monday via a 52-47 win against visiting No. 3 Goochland High School.

Buckingham Head Coach Kelly Chambers, in her third year leading the team, said Monday’s win meant everything to her.

“We have been playing our best ball down the stretch our last half of the season, and to come out and to not only win some tough games at the end of the season, but come out in the James River District tournament and to clinch the tournament, I’m just so proud of the girls,” she said. “That shows that we are a team that truly put our best foot forward.”

The Lady Knights (18-4) return to action Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. when they host their opening game of the Region 2C tournament.

Goochland did not go down without a valiant fight Monday. Buckingham led 19-17 after the first quarter, 34-26 at halftime but then only 42-41 after three quarters.

The Lady Bulldogs went up by a point a couple of times in the final period, but the home team, playing in front of a large crowd, was able to turn the tide.

“Offensively, we just had to move the ball and work the defense, and I think that we came out a little better on the defensive end, contesting shots, stopping some drives and just boxing out and getting those rebounds there in the paint,” Coach Chambers said.

Jayda Chambers could be seen wincing at various points in the fourth quarter as she moved about the court, even as she was proving to be her team’s main source of points down the stretch. During a timeout in the waning moments, she limped over and laid down on the bench in pain as coaches attended to her.

“I was cramping in both of my legs, but I knew I couldn’t come out at the time, so I had to fight through it,” she said.

The chants of “M-V-P” rained down from the crowd, making something clear — Chambers had made everyone proud, especially her mother, Coach Chambers.

“I was very proud of her,” the coach said. “If anybody doubted about her being the Most Valuable Player in the district, I think she showed tonight that she has that all-around game. She brings it on the defensive end, as you can see her diving for loose balls, trying to save balls, getting rebounds and being our leading rebounder with 19 rebounds, and then coming on the other end and scoring 27 points.”

Chambers also added six steals, five assists, four blocks and only two turnovers.

There were multiple instances in which the Lady Knights showed how dangerous they have become as a team, with so many girls contributing, including six scorers. Sophomore forward Morgan Randolph finished with 10 points and five rebounds, senior guard Shamari Wingfield had five points, four assists and four steals, and junior guard Hannah Davis and junior forward Amil Bolden collected five rebounds apiece.