On Friday night at Chantilly, senior forward Peyton White scored 15 points and junior wing Grace Ellingson added 14 as Gainesville defeated Chantilly, 53-39.
It was a battle of teams who have an eye toward February and March and making a postseason run. That’s why both teams have scheduled challenging non-district slates: to prepare them for the playoffs.
“Our team’s goal, just like everybody else’s, is to win the championship,” said White, who also had 11 rebounds and three assists on the night. “And I think we can do that, but one step at a time. Not looking too far ahead in the future, but taking it one game at a time, because every game counts…every team we play is great preparation.”
The game Friday had a playoff atmosphere at Chantilly, with a good crowd and a buzz in the gym. It was billed as a battle of quality, above-six-foot post players–White and junior Leylani Abraham for Gainesville, and senior center Alex Wilson for Chantilly. White has signed to play with Towson next season, Wilson with St. Peter’s, and Abraham has several Division I offers as well.
Early on, however, it was Ellingson that put on a show. She hit three first quarter threes as Gainesville raced to an early lead. Chantilly came back and tied it at the end of a quarter, however, and after Gainesville went on a 7-0 lead to open the second quarter, Chantilly rallied again behind Wilson, who had 11 points, six boards, and three assists in the first half. At halftime it was 29-26, Gainesville.
In the second half, Chantilly couldn’t keep up. White and Abraham were key as the Cardinals out-rebounded the Chargers 18-8 in the second half. Gainesville also got balanced offensive contributions across the board as eight Cardinals scored on the night.
Plus, Gainesville’s defense improved after intermission. White and Abraham helped to hold Wilson to three points in the second half, and Chantilly only shot 23% from the field in the second half after shooting almost 50% before halftime.
White said the key was her team staying sharp mentally against a good team that was bound to make runs.
“Basketball is a game of ups and downs, when we stay locked in as a team, we stay locked in on the court,” she said.
Abraham added seven points and nine rebounds for Gainesville (8-2), which will resume its challenging schedule late in the calendar year at Boo Williams. Wilson finished with 14 points, nine boards, and five assists for the Chargers. Senior guard Alivia Tarry added 13 points for Chantilly.
While the Chargers (6-2) came up short in this contest, they hope their challenging schedule pays dividends in 2026 as well. The Chargers had played and defeated #7 Langley earlier in the week.
–Chris Jollay