FLEMING ISLAND - On a night when Fleming Island senior London Jenkins notched her 1,000th point, the Lady Golden Eagles would not be denied as they faced the visiting Clay Lady Blue Devils. Jenkins racked up a team-high 21 points, backed up by Amira Martin with 15 steals and seven points of her own. The Golden Eagle defense built a brick wall on the Blue Devils, forcing Clay to take off-angle shots that wouldn’t drop. A massive Golden Eagle 20-point third quarter was the huge difference maker on the way to a trouncing of the visiting Blue Devils 59-41.
“In 2024, this team is starting to believe in themselves and executing as a unit,” said Fleming Island Head Coach Michael Hayward. “Last year they didn’t compete together and didn’t compete for a full four quarters. Now they are putting four quarters of basketball together and it shows. I’m so proud of them. Even the role players are starting to step up and be balanced.”
The Golden Eagle defense had the Blue Devils locked down allowing only five total first-quarter points as they put 11 on the board. London Jenkins may have been a little too exuberant in her desire to reach the 1,000-point mark as she forced it too much and needed to take a seat all second quarter due to foul trouble. Fleming Island would rely on Devyn Dudones to hit from outside for two three-pointers, along with another from Victoria Noble to add to the 15-second quarter with Fleming Island opening a 26-17 halftime lead.
With Jenkins released from the bench in the third quarter, she was seemingly everywhere defending the net, stealing, and driving the basket. With the frustration of the Blue Devils mounting, Jenkins was fouled with 4:36 to play in the third quarter. With the shot drained, a full time-out was called to recognize the achievement of her 1,000th point with the presentation of a white and orange basketball. On the evening, Jenkins went 9 of 13 from the line to add to her total. The Golden Eagles dominated the Blue Devils by 10 third-quarter points, 46-27.
“When you face someone like London Jenkins, a D-1 level athlete, she is going to draw so much defense and you try to contain her,” said Clay Blue Devils Head Coach Doug Deters. “We had to have her double-teamed teamed and they did an excellent job, especially in the second half, to get their shooters open and we just couldn’t match them.”
With a 19-point lead moving into the fourth quarter, Fleming Island went to the bench to provide some much-needed game experience for the role players. Clay continued the intense defensive pressure in the final quarter which handed Fleming Island 12 free throw attempts with the team hitting six free throws on the way to adding 12 fourth-quarter points. Clay outscored Fleming Island in the final quarter 14-13, but the lead heading into the fourth was too much for the Blue Devils to overcome, finishing with the 59-41 loss.
With the victory, Fleming Island improved to 7-11 on the season as they try to make it three wins in a row against Episcopal School Monday night in the Nest. Clay, now at 11-8, will head up the road to Middleburg trying to stop the loss streak at four.