Central High School’s fifth-seeded varsity girls basketball team struggled against sharp-shooting host No. 4 Rappahannock County High School, leading to a 65-29 defeat in the Region 1B tournament quarterfinals Feb. 19.

“Unfortunately, we dug ourselves a big hole in the first half, being outscored 40-8,” Lady Chargers Head Coach Scott Wilson said. “Rappahannock County was the best shooting team we have faced all season, and it didn’t help we turned the ball over 14 times in the first half.”

Rappahannock led 25-1 after the first quarter.

“We settled down in the second half, turning the ball over less and were outscored only by four,” the coach said.

The score was 55-18 after the third quarter, and Central won the fourth quarter, 11-10.

Leading the Lady Chargers in the game were sophomore forward Aaliyah Alexander, with 12 points, and senior center Ladasha Robertson, with six rebounds.

Central finished the 2018-19 season with a 4-15 overall record.

“Going into the season, we were one of the most inexperienced varsity teams in the district and region,” Wilson said. “It was going to be a season of looking to improve and grow … to become more experienced as varsity level players, which I feel we did.”

The coach said the high point of the season was a 33-28 home victory over William Campbell High School on Jan. 28 after falling to the Lady Generals 37-32 on the road the week prior.

Wilson cited his whole roster as a great group to coach.

“They worked hard and had the desire to improve throughout the whole season,” he said. “In the second half of the season, Aaliyah Alexander became a consistent scorer for us which we needed. Alexander scored a career-high 20 points against William Campbell at home and also scored 17 in the away meeting. She finished the season scoring a team-high 12 points against Rappahannock County.”

The coach stated that in five games against regional opponents this past season, Alexander averaged 11.1 points per game.

The 2019-20 Lady Chargers promise to be a more seasoned squad.

“Of the 13 players on the postseason roster, we will lose four to graduation, leaving us with nine,” Wilson said. “Three of them (have) now finished their second year on varsity. Hopefully, being more experienced will pay off with more wins next season.”