Buckingham County High School’s varsity boys basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Jan. 14 against visiting Goochland High School, but the Knights avenged that 58-55 defeat in a big way Thursday, Feb. 6.

The Knights traveled to Goochland and handed the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 3 Bulldogs a 65-48 loss.

“I was really proud of our guys after that game,” Buckingham Head Coach Taylor Boyers said. “I thought it was the best game we’ve played all season. We knew it was going to take that type of effort and that type of execution.”

He said he thought his team battled all night and was especially aggressive defensively.

Explaining why the result of the rematch was so different from the Jan. 14 game, Boyers said his players were as focused as they have been all season in the Feb. 6 contest.

“We did little things right as far as boxing out every possession, getting back on defense,” he said. “I think that was the key for us in this game — we got back to doing little things right.”

He noted that Buckingham (17-3, 12-2 district) was ranked No. 7 in the state at the VHSL Class 2 level, according to VirginiaPreps.com, while Goochland (14-4, 11-2 district) was ranked No. 7 at the VHSL Class 3 level.

“We may end up seeing them again in the district tournament,” Boyers said.

The top four teams in the James River District qualify for the tourney.

Leading the Knights Thursday was junior guard Amari Toney with 20 points.

“In two of the biggest games of our season against Amelia and Goochland, he’s really stepped up for us,” Boyers said. “He had 20 against Goochland, 23 against Amelia, and that’s what we need him to do. He’s the leader of this team and one of our best offensive players.”

Buckingham junior forward Gerry “Tae” Toney added 17 points and 14 rebounds, sophomore guard Damorrious Holman had 10 points, and junior forward Xavier Copeland had eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.

The Knights were set to finish their regular season hosting Prince Edward County High School Monday, Feb. 10, and visiting Nottoway High School Tuesday, Feb. 11.