[New] Powhatan bounces back from defeat with Caroline win

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

The Powhatan Indians had a week that truly tested their mettle, as they had to bounce back from a tough loss to the undefeated James River Rapids with a matchup against the 3-4 Caroline Cavaliers two days later.

The 63-32 loss to the Rapids on Dec. 13 was a tough pill to swallow for the Indians, who fell in a 22-7 hole after the first quarter and couldn’t recover from there despite possessing the home court crowd. James River is off to a 7-0 start to the season and are led by sophomore phenom and North Carolina commit Lanie Grant, who proved a difficult assignment for the Indians thanks to a marksman shooting touch and a flair with the ball as a scorer and playmaker.

It was a tough loss against a battle-tested team a year removed from being atop the Dominion District, but the loss gave the Indians an early chance to test their resolve in the face of adversity. In their road matchup against the Cavaliers on Dec. 15, they were able to display the exact type of toughness necessary to bounce back and pick up a dominant win of their own.

The 56-25 victory, which pushes the Indians to a 5-4 record heading into their winter break, was a perfect balance of efficient offense and lockdown defense as they held the Cavaliers under 10 points in each quarter while scoring in double figures themselves in the first three quarters of the game.

In the first quarter, the Indians powered forward with a 23-6 lead that saw sophomore Emma Terry score all 11 of her points to lead the way. Senior Katherine Cerullo, who finished with a team-high 15 points on the night, added eight points in that first quarter stretch, and the two key contributors charged the offense forward with a big lead and all of the momentum.

In the second quarter, Cerullo added five more points, while her teammate Corynn Lampman was a perfect three-for-three from the free throw line to add five points herself and help Powhatan enter halftime with a 37-14 advantage.

The offense slowed down a bit with their big lead in the second half, but the defense was still top of the line. The Cavaliers managed just 11 more points in the second half, and the Indians never let them generate or sustain any momentum to potentially pull off a comeback.

With the win, the Indians now have a prolonged break until their next game, a Jan. 3, 2023, meeting against Clover Hill (0-5) at