Basketball Recap: Samaria Knick's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Dan River over Chatham

If Dan River was riding high fresh off their 39-13 takedown of Nelson County last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Dan River Wildcats took a 47-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Chatham Cavaliers on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 386th, while the Cavaliers are ranked 145th).

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Samaria Knick, who posted six points and 21 boards. Akeelah Scott was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

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Previous 1 Games

01/17/25 - Away

35-47 L

Even though they lost, Dan River was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in four consecutive matches.

Chatham's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jakiyah Giggetts led the charge by dropping a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Giggetts has scored at least a third of Chatham's points. Another player making a difference was Sydney Ward, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 boards.

Dan River dropped their record down to 1-10 with the defeat, which was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Chatham, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.

Dan River didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 46-32 loss against William Campbell on the 21st. Chatham has also already played their next game, a 63-46 win against Gretna on the 21st.