Correction (March 11, 2012): Barry Hollandsworth is director of special education and student services for Floyd County Schools. An earlier version of this story misidentified his current job within the school district.

RICHMOND — She had never played a game quite like this, and she may never again. Amanda Hollandsworth can’t explain where this all came from, other than to praise her teammates for finding her in the right spots.

Regardless, this was the performance the former principal’s daughter had been waiting for: a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead Floyd County to a 72-62 victory over Central-Wise on Saturday in the Group A Division 2 championship game.

“I’m not really sure when it set in,” said Hollandsworth, who made 10 of 13 shots from the field. “I don’t even know if it did set in. Because everyone’s always telling me, ‘It’s just another game, it’s just another game.’

“I had butterflies before the game and my heart was pounding out of my chest. But as soon as the first whistle was blown, that all left me. It was like I was just playing another game.”

This, though, was decidedly different. At long last, the Buffaloes faced an opponent that wanted to play the same kind of physical brand of basketball that they do.

Collisions. So many collisions. Floyd County initiated some, Central the others. Sometimes fouls were called; sometimes they weren’t. But there always seemed to be collisions.

Hollandsworth, though? Collisions do not bother her. When she banged heads with Central’s Logan Reynolds chasing a loose ball in the first half, Reynolds had to leave the game. Hollandsworth stayed in — and continued to pile up the points.

Late in the game, when Reynolds landed on her in a hard foul, Hollandsworth gave a slight smirk, calmly dropped the ball and headed to the line.

“I knew she could jump,” Hollandsworth said with a smile. “But I didn’t think she would jump on me.”

Still, Hollandsworth understood.

“I could see the frustration in them,” she said. “She was just trying her hardest.”

Hollandsworth learned long ago that the court is no place for crying about anything. Her mother, Susan, was her first coach in sandlot ball, and she wouldn’t stand for whining.

Her father, former Floyd County principal Barry Hollandsworth, who is now director of special education and student services, took a no-nonsense approach to raising all three of his daughters, including the youngest.

“When she’d come home crying or complaining about anything, we just said, ‘Look, either you’re going to be tough and play the game, or you can do something different,’ ” Barry Hollandsworth said. “That’s kind of been our philosophy on it. If you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it right. You’re going to be tough, and you’re not going to whine and cry about it.

“It’s a tough world. You’ve got to go out and you’ve got to compete. You’ve got to compete for jobs. You’ve got to compete against other people. I think that’s what athletics does for you.”

The Hollandsworth girls have thrived athletically under that philosophy.

The oldest, Jessica, was a three-time All-ACC selection in golf who set the University of Maryland career record for scoring average. She’s in her first year as an assistant golf coach at James Madison.

The middle, Lauren, played volleyball and was a cheerleader for Floyd County.

Amanda plays golf, too — and plays it well. She won the Virginia State Golf Association Junior Girls’ Championship this summer and tied for third in the Group A tournament this fall.

Golf’s her first love. But in Floyd’s basketball program, she’s found a team element she enjoys and a coaching staff that shares her father’s appreciation for stoicism.

“They’re constantly telling us when we’re down on the ground to get up,” Hollandsworth said. “I know that when I was younger, I was kind of a bigger baby, I guess. My dad pushed me to not be a baby. ‘You’re not hurt. You’re not hurt. Stop crying.’ And [the coaches] do it, too. It’s just great having them not baby you.”

The Buffaloes wouldn’t have won this game without that kind of toughness. When Central cut the deficit to 51-46 at the end of the third quarter, Floyd responded with a 10-0 run to open the fourth. Hollandsworth scored the last six points of that, part of her 11-point effort in the final quarter.

She couldn’t explain that, either.

“It’s been difficult to sleep both nights when we’ve been down here,” said Hollandsworth, a 5-8 junior forward and straight-A student. “I woke up a lot throughout the night and just thought about the plays and all this stuff. I guess I was just thinking about my freshman and my sophomore years, when we made it to the regional semis and we got knocked out. I knew we were the better team, and we got knocked out.

“This year, I just wanted to win it. I wanted it for the seniors more than for me.”

And when it was over, they met at midcourt and hugged, then accepted a well-earned trophy.

Asked how she planned to celebrate, Hollandsworth —still coming to grips with her performance — laughed.

“I wish I could say I was going to Disney World,” she said.

Nah. That’s baby stuff.

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