With only one starter back from last season and opportunities to hit the court coming few and far between, the Culpeper boys basketball team hasn’t been able to gain its footing yet this winter.

Losses to William Monroe and Handley, a pair of squads expected to be very strong this year, came more than three weeks apart and put the Blue Devils in a 0-2 hole.

Culpeper was finally able to gain some traction in a 55-45 win at Kettle Run last Friday, something head coach James Thompson hoped his team could build on with three games scheduled for this week.

The Blue Devils didn’t disappoint Thompson Tuesday night, never trailing in an easy 70-54 victory over previously unbeaten Fauquier.

“It’s always about building chemistry,” Thompson said. That usually takes 10 or 12 games to achieve, and in a normal season you’d have played that many games by now. With COVID and a shorter season, we’re trying to accelerate that process.”

Culpeper (2-2 overall, 2-1 Class 4 Northwestern District) built a 36-25 halftime edge Tuesday, using balanced scoring from a handful of contributors and a swarming 2-3 zone to blitz the visiting Falcons (3-1, 2-1) from the get-go.

Nathan Amos scored 10 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter, sinking a pair of 3-pointers in the process.

Amos, a sophomore, is transitioning from shooting guard to point guard after transferring from crosstown rival Eastern View during the offseason.

“I’ve been throwing a lot of things at him,” Thompson said of Amos, who also totaled five rebounds, five steals and four assists while turning the ball over just twice. “He’s done a solid job of handling all the changes and added responsibility.”

Amos got plenty of help. Junior center Quentin Butler tallied eight of his 10 points in the first half, using his muscular 6-foot-4 frame to overpower a smaller Fauquier squad in the paint.

“He gives us that big body and a scoring presence around the basket,” Thompson said of Butler, who also pulled down six rebounds on the night. “He really cleaned some things up for us down there in the first half.”

Senior swingmen Chase Smith and Jaiden Penn picked up the slack after intermission. Smith notched 10 of his 13 points in the third period, while Penn spread seven of his 11 out through the third and fourth stanzas.

A bucket by Penn early in the final frame pushed the Blue Devils’ lead to 62-40, effectively slamming the door on the Falcons’ comeback hopes.

Thompson lauded the efforts of Smith, Penn and Culpeper’s lone returning starter from last year’s team, fellow senior JoJo Crenshaw, as critical in the Blue Devils’ overall performance.

“Those three do so many things for us, some of which don’t show up on a stat sheet,” he pointed out. “They’re really trying to make sure everyone is involved and moving in the same direction out there.”

Penn grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists, while Smith finished with four rebounds and three assists of his own. Crenshaw chipped in seven points, 12 rebounds four assists and a pair of steals.

Fauquier was paced by senior Thurman Smith, who connected on four 3s on his way to registering 18 points in the contest.

Culpeper returns to the floor Thursday when it welcomes Eastern View for a nondistrict showdown.

Fauquier (3-1, 2-1): Michael Fitts 5, Luke Harris 7, Dylan Taylor 6, Sam Potucek 2, Thurman Smith 18, Chris Chirasello 1, Jackson Kelso 0, Craig Riddle 3, Oscar Lemus Mendoza 9, Collin Anderson 0, Trevor Lawson 3, Christian McCauley 0. Totals: 19 7-16 54.

Culpeper (2-2, 2-1): Jaiden Penn 11, Nathan Amos 20, Lucas Rooney 0, DeAlonte Moore 0, JoJo Crenshaw 7, Tyler Simmons 3, Chase Smith 13, Collin McClanahan 2, Quentin Butler 10, Zach Eckard 4. Totals: 27 13-20 70.

3-pointers: Fauquier 9 (Smith 4, Fitts, Harris, Riddle, Lemus Mendoza, Lawson). Culpeper 3 (Amos 2, Penn).