The Washington women’s basketball had to fight for all 32 minutes to secure a hard-earned victory against Farmville Central, 64-60.

It was a statement game for the Pam Pack, as they improved to 2-0 in their first year in the NCHSAA 2-A Eastern Plain Conference.

“The girls have worked really hard to get to that point,” said Head Coach Allison Jones. “We want to put ourselves in the best position possible this first go through in the conference to give ourselves a chance to finish at the top.”

After dropping the first three games of the season, the Pam Pack has resurged, winning four of their last five games. However, Saturday’s matchup against the Jaguars was no easy victory.

Both teams came out of the gate overly aggressive and rampant turnovers were the result.

Senior guard Dina Redmond was able to knock down a few early shots and match the Jaguars perimeter shooting, while Shona Midgette held her own in the paint. The Pam Pack center fought for each rebound and played smart basketball throughout the night. Midgette took advantage of open mid-range jumpers, knocking most of them down, and dishing when contested in the paint.

The Jaguars fought their way back in the second quarter, outscoring the Pam Pack 18-11. Farmville Central went into the locker room with a new wave of intensity and a confident 34-29 lead.

It would only take senior shooting guard Sheema Brown about four seconds into the second half to jumpstart the Washington offense. Brown stepped up and drilled a long-range three from the top of the arc to wake up Pam Pack crowd.

“Sheema is one of our senior leaders,” said Jones. “We constantly put the ball in her hands. We had some people step up tonight, which kind of took a bit of the pressure off of her. They were able to produce a little bit which enabled Sheema to hit that outside shot.”

The Pam Pack seemed to have an answer for every one of the Jaguars shots in the second half. Washington powered back in the third on the back of Brown and a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper from Midgette.

“Shona [Midgette] has the ability to shoot that short range jump shot which kind of pulls the defense out once she hits a couple,” said Jones. “She can also battle for rebounds and put backs, so I thought she did well tonight as well. I’m proud of her.”

One thing is certain. When the fourth quarter calls, Brown is there to answer. The senior guard commanded the high-octane offense, penetrated down low and drew fouls, and continued to drain threes.

A few clutch free throws from Brown gave her a season-high 25 points on the night and sealed the victory for the Pam Pack, 64-60.

“Farmville has a good team. They’re big, they’re smart and very athletic,” said Jones. “We knew we would have our hands full coming into tonight. It was a game all the way until the very end.”

Washington will attempt to improve to 3-0 in conference play when they face Beddingfield at home next Friday.