Purcellville, Va. — Loudoun Valley High School was packed on February 2 in anticipation of Purcellville’s late-season rivalry game between the Vikings and the Wolverines of Woodgrove High School. But what the fans got was more than a tough, physical game between Dulles District foes; they witnessed history.
“It was crazy. I love The Jungle,” Loudoun Valley senior forward Jordan Miller said. “Woodgrove’s stands were packed. Our side was packed. It was just a great environment. Both teams played well and gave the crowd a great show.”
A great show indeed, and Miller was its star.
Early in the fourth quarter, Miller connected on an and-one layup – the 1,586th and 1,587th points of his career – becoming the all-time leading scorer in the Vikings’ 57-year history.
“Mark [Melbourne] found me open underneath. That’s what my teammates do. They find me when I’m open,” Miller said. “Coach has instilled in us the importance of passing to the open guy, and we executed that tonight.”
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Miller – who scored a game-high 28 points – was just 25 points behind 1988 graduate Chris Leonard’s all-time scoring record entering the contest. By the time his 26th point of the game fell, the Vikings had pulled away to deflate the Wolverines, 96-65.
“You have to win at home. You have to protect your house,” Loudoun Valley head coach Chad Dawson said. “Woodgrove and Loudoun County are right there in the second position in the district, so it’s a very big win.”
Known for its offensive prowess, it was Loudoun Valley’s defense that allowed the Vikes to separate from the Wolverines in the second half, as Miller and co. forced 29 turnovers, including 14 in the final two quarters.
“We have to put pressure on the ball, and the kids really buy into that,” Dawson said. “The kids did a good job of jumping passing lanes tonight.”
Loudoun Valley got out in transition and was clicking on all cylinders as nine different Vikings contributed to the scoring line, including double-digit performances by senior shooting guard Dom Peterson, senior guard Mark Melbourne and Miller.
“We have a super shooting team,” Dawson said. “This is probably the best shooting team I’ve ever seen in high school.”
Even in the loss, Woodgrove put up a good fight, especially early on. Sophomore forward Brock Redman scored a team-high 19 points, while junior guard Zack Johnson and junior forward Alex Owen added 11 and 10 respectively. The Wolverines also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Vikings, 44-23.
“Woodgrove did a good job playing their game,” Dawson said. “And despite the turnover situation, they did a good job of knocking down their open shots.”
Walking away from the historic night, Miller made two things very clear: his team improved to 10-0 in the Dulles District and the ultimate goal is still on the horizon.
“It’s cool to break the scoring record, but I wasn’t thinking about it much during the game,” Miller said. “The main goal is still winning a state championship.”
Loudoun Valley Stats
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Jordan Miller | 28 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5/6 |
| Mark Melbourne | 23 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0/0 |
| Dom Peterson | 14 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Jalen Williams | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Umayr Obaid | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 |
| Robby Adams | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2/6 |
| Clyde Volker | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Dylan Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Trent Dawson | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1/5 |
| Matthew Traub | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Hudson Johns | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Vikings | 96 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 1 | 9/19 |
Woodgrove Stats
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Brock Redman | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 |
| Zack Johnson | 11 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4/4 |
| Alex Owen | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Zachary Cunningham | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Owen Fuller | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Robert Mustacchio | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Brady Drawbaugh | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Drake Bachman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 |
| Patrick Strite | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Jalen Alford | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 |
| Dillon James | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Tyler Blizzard | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 |
| Wolverines | 65 | 44 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 8/9 |
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