By GARY DOVE
for the Daily Telegraph
WELCH — The James Monroe Lady Mavericks were a little late arriving at
the Castle Wednesday evening for a scheduled basketball game against
Mount View.
And, even after they arrived, they may have felt as if they were still
on a school bus, heading north on US Route 52.
A pair of turnovers by the Lady Mavs led directly to a Kaitlyn Gillespie
three point play, followed by a pair of Gillespie free throws for an
early 5-0 Lady Knight advantage before James Monroe head coach Michael
Hines called a timeout with 4:34 remaining in the first quarter.
Following that break, the Lady Mavericks scored the final eight points
of the period, that stretched into a 12-0 run that eventually ended with
a 23-2 spurt that put the visitors on top 23-7 at the 5:07 mark of the
second frame.
James Monroe would roll on to a 59-30 win over the Lady Knights.
Explained Coach Hines, “We were a little bit late getting here. We had a
little bit of bus trouble. Coach (assistant Kelly Mann) and I thought we
would come out a little bit flat. We took a time out right there at the
start (trailing 5-0) and kind of got their feet under them and told
them, ‘Just get after it.’”
“We wanted to push the basketball and we need to do that against other
teams. We needed a win…After that time out, we got after them and came
ready to play after that first two or three minutes,” Hines continued.
Freshman Gracie Mann scored six of those initial eight James Monroe
points, with sophomore Kelli Ellison adding the other two on free throws.
Mann, who took game scoring honors with 18, added eleven of that total
in the second chapter, as the Lady Mavericks outgunned Mount View 26-11
in that frame to hold a 34-16 advantage at the break.
Freshman Taylor Sams followed Mann’s 18 points with 14 of her own,
including 7 in that second eight minutes. Ellison finished with now for
the now 4-9 Lady Mavs.
A very disappointed Mount View head coach Harold Smith, who saw his team
play Bluefield tough Monday evening, remarked, “I just don’t understand
it. They (Lady Mavericks) just beat us up and down the floor all night.
They outrebounded us even though they have no height…
“Monday night against Bluefield I was so impressed with them and then
tonight, they (Lady Knights) went back to as though they had never
played before.”
Gillespie finished her night’s work with 16 points for the now 2-6 Mount
View quintet, who will host Westside Thursday night.
James Monroe will return home to entertain Wyoming East Friday evening.

at the Castle
JAMES MONROE (4-9)
Chylyn Fox 4 0-0 8, Gracie Mann 6 5-11 18, Taylor Sams 6 0-0 14, Kelli
Ellison 2 4-6 9, Holly Huffman 1 2-6 4, Morgan Wylie 3 0-0 6. Totals 22
11-23 59.
MOUNT VIEW (2-6)
Lisa Johnson 0 0-2 0, Jasmine Lash 1 4-4 6, Kaitlyn Gillespie 3 10-11
16, Chantel Vineyard 1 0-0 2, Paige Short 1 2-4 4, Cydney Vineyard 0 0-1
0, Shamya Baker 1 0-1 2. Totals 7 16-23 30.
James Monroe.................8 26 13 12 — 59
Mount View........................5 11 7 7 — 30
3-point goals: JM 4 (Sams 2, Mann 1, Ellison 1), MV 0. Fouled out: JM
Fields; MV none. Technicals: none.