By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BRUSHFORK — Shelia Hopkins had an even-steven double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, sparking the Bluefield Beavers to a 62-45 victory over the James Monroe Lady Mavericks on Monday evening at Brushfork National Guard Armory.
Kelsie Mann of James Monroe countered with 14 points — eight of them in the fourth quarter — and 17 rebounds.
The Beavers (7-5) never trailed, starting out fast and proving later that they could play at a more deliberate pace.
“I thought we got the game going a little to our pace, running up and down the floor,” said Bluefield head coach Tony Mallamaci. “We were able to apply pressure. ... We were able to run the half-court game, but we still got a little too fast when we ran it.”
The Beavers forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and sank seven baskets for a 16-8 lead. In the second period, Bluefield pulled off six steals but scored only one field goal in the final four minutes of the half, going into the locker room ahead 27-22.
The shoe was on the other foot in the third period. James Monroe (7-5) went almost four minutes without a basket from the floor, while Bluefield nailed a trio of three-pointers. A layup by Abby Atwell off a quick assist from Hopkins produced a 13-point lead, 42-29.
Bluefield, which took no foul shots in the first half, got a 6-for-6 performance at the foul line from Hopkins in the final quarter, accounting for half her points.
The Beavers took an astounding 73 shots from the floor and yielded 22 field goals, for a 30 percent rate. James Monroe was 17 of 57, an almost identical percentage.
Kayla Via of James Monroe was a force in the defensive paint, blocking three Bluefield shots. Emily McKinney had two steals for the Lady Mavs.
Atwell had three steals for Bluefield, and four Beavers had two steals each — Hopkins, Jesslyn Fullerton, Jessica Hayden and Destiney Sims.
Mallamaci said, “We executed better — not perfect, but better. We continue to make progress. We’re aiming toward tournament time.”
James Monroe lost its third straight contest after reeling off seven consecutive wins.
Bluefield plays its next two games at home, on Friday against River View and a week from today against PikeView. James Monroe hosts Independence on Wednesday and returns to Mercer County on Thursday to play PikeView.
— Contact Tom Bone at
tbone@bdtonline.com

At Brushfork National Guard Armory
JAMES MONROE
Carter Shiflet 3 2-2 8, Emily McKlarney 1 0-0 3, Jordan Page 0 4-6 4, Kelsie Mann 6 2-4 14, Whitney Ogle 1 0-2 2, Rebecca Sparks 0 1-2 1, Laine Shiflet 2 0-4 4, Kelsie Gillespie 0 1-2 1, Lauren Throckmorten 1 0-0 2, Kayla Via 3 0-0 6. Totals 17 10-22 45.
BLUEFIELD (7-5)
Kaitlyn Thompson 1 0-0 2, Destiney Sims 6 0-0 16, Dazia Edwards 1 2-3 4, Tyra Jackson 1 0-0 2, Khadijah Brown 3 0-0 7, Jessica Hayden 2 1-2 7, Jesslyn Fullerton 2 0-0 5, Courtney Auville 1 0-0 2, Abby Atwell 1 0-1 2, Marcella Lee 1 1-3 3, Shelia Hopkins 3 6-6 12. Totals 22 10-15 62.
James Monroe........8 14 11 12 — 45
Bluefield..........16 11 15 20 — 62
Three-point goals — JM, none. BHS 7 (Sims 4, Brown 2, Hayden 2, Fullerton 1). Total fouls — JM 16, BHS 20. Fouled out — BHS, Hopkins.