Passes lift No.1 Cosby

Having Candice Silas in the lineup might have made a difference in the margin of defeat, but her presence on the floor would not have made a difference in the outcome.

Silas, one of the top post players in the Central Region, sat out last night's Dominion District matchup between her Monacan Chiefs, ranked No. 3 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10, and Cosby, the T-D's top-ranked team that is ranked No. 5 in The Associated Press state poll, with a knee injury.

Cosby senior Jazmin Pitts, the T-D player of the year last season, didn't expect to see Silas on crutches.

"I didn't know she was hurt, but it didn't change me at all," said Pitts, who scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and delivered four assists in the Titans' 76-43 romp at Monacan.

The Titans (7-0, 11-2) had their way with the Chiefs (4-2, 9-2) in the first half, piling up 46 points on better than 70 percent shooting. Most of the points came from short range. A 17-foot jumper by Andrea Bertrand and a 3-pointer from the corner by Pitts just before halftime were the only perimeter points.

Cosby players put on a clinic with their interior passing and handed out 14 assists in the first 16 minutes. It's a part of the offense the Titans have been working on since coming back from their holiday tournament appearance in Tennessee.

"That was a challenging tournament. We had to do something different," Pitts said. "[The inside passing] was an alternative."

Said Cosby coach Rachel Mead, "We learned about patience [in Tennessee]. We're running new offenses and taking our time to see the offense through."

Becca Wann contributed 22 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, and Bertrand added 15 points and five assists to the Titans' effort.

The Chiefs, down 46-15, collected themselves at halftime.

"We were intimidated in the first half," Monacan coach Larry Starr said. "We struggled to stop their inside game. The second half, we came back. I told them to throw the score away and think about being competitive. We only lost by seven in the second half. We still think we are one of the best five teams in the region with or without Candice."

Gabby Harris led Monacan with 13 points.

The Titans lost their efficiency in the second half, mostly in the fourth quarter. They missed shots inside and turned the ball over. Pitts, who has signed with the University of Virginia and rarely ventures to the perimeter, knocked down another 3-pointer. U.Va. coach Debbie Ryan was in the crowd.

"We're not going to play a perfect game," Mead said. "We want to be consistent and not get our cage rattled. We're a lot more mature."

Contact Arthur Utley at

COSBY (7-0, 11-2)

Triplett 0, Christian 0, Nichols 3, Morgan 2, Conyers 2, Wann 22, Lennox 2, Bertrand 15, Barrett 0, Vaughan 1, Horton 0, Pitts 29. Totals 32 10-15 76.
MONACAN (4-2, 9-2)

Harris 13, Deichman 2, Pullen 0, K. Keys 8, L. Bacile 2, Rainey 6, L. Keys 9, Williams 3, Johnson 0. Totals 14 12-17 43.
Cosby ------------------------- 21 25 15 15 - 76
Monacan ------------------------- 12 7 8 16 - 43

3-point goals: C - Pitts 2. M - Harris 2, L. Keys.