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Anna Claytor surpassed the 1,000point mark for her career, and the Parry McCluer High School girls basketball team defeated James River 40-33 at the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout on Saturday morning at Rockbridge County High School.
Claytor finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead the Blues (14-2) to their sixth consecutive win, while Payton Emore chipped in eight points and nine rebounds. Caitlin Canada led the Knights (9-10) with 17 points and eight boards.
Claytor, a senior, hit the career milestone on her second basket of the contest, which put PM ahead 8-2 midway through the opening frame. She heads into the home stretch of the regular season with 1,015 career points.
Reaching that milestone in high school is a major accomplishment under any circumstances. But it’s even more impressive considering that Claytor’s sophomore season was condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that she also had to share the limelight with several other talented Blues – including her sister Katie, the 2021-22 Virginia High School League Class 1 state player of the year – during PM’s state semifinal run last year.
“She’s been consistent for four years,” PM head coach Adam Gilbert said of Anna Claytor. “For her to eclipse 1,000 points with basically three seasons … she’s got the ability to score the basketball. She’s been consistent with it, and hopefully she can continue to do that for us moving forward.”
In the 2022 edition of Rock the Ribbon, the Blues manhandled the Knights by an astonishing 66-2 scoreline. But key players Canada and Lexi McCullough – who had seven points and five rebounds on Saturday – both missed last year’s game.
Though the Blues never trailed in Saturday’s rematch, they struggled to shake JR. PM built up a 33-22 advantage late in the third quarter, only to see the Knights trim the deficit to three on two occasions early in the fourth period. But the Blues’ defense stepped up late, limiting JR to just one field goal in the final seven minutes in extending their winning streak to six games.
“We got stops,” Gilbert said. “I think our effort tonight defensively in the half-court was pretty good.”
Victoria Hamilton added eight points, five rebounds and four assists for PM, while Natalie Mohler totaled five points and four assists. Honesty Liming and Audrey Benson grabbed seven rebounds apiece for the Knights.
