Ashburn, Va. — After jumping out to an early first half lead, the Broad Run High School girls basketball team overcame a strong second-half effort by rival Briar Woods to fend off the Falcons and secure a 52-48 win on December 20 in Ashburn.
A foul-ridden first quarter forced the Falcons to dive deep into their bench as the Spartans took advantage. Led by sophomore forward Sydney Sokol – who poured in 6 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter alone – Broad Run jumped out a 19-10 lead after the first frame.
“It’s great to jump out to an early lead,” Broad Run head coach Kate Culhane said. “It gives us confidence to share the ball and try to finish. It definitely helped us with momentum.”
[adrotate group=”5″]Both teams entered the double bonus before the midway mark of the second quarter, however, the foul situation once again hit Briar Woods harder as senior forward Hannah Crawford was forced to sit with her third foul. Sokol – who finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds in the first half – and the Spartans headed into the locker room leading 26-18.
Coming out of the half, Broad Run senior center Sara Kelly – who scored a team-high 13 points – knocked down a short jumper to extend the Spartans’ lead to 28-18. Then, the Falcons started to chip away.
Briar Woods senior point guard Marissa Almonte responded with a two-point bucket of her own, before dishing a sweet pass to Crawford who finished under the basket, to pull the Falcons within 6.
Just when it looked like Briar Woods was gaining the momentum, Broad Run sophomore point guard Yvonne Lee drilled a three-pointer. Then after a series of Falcons free throws and put backs drew Briar Woods within 2, Lee knocked down another long-range jumper. Ultimately, the Falcons’ third quarter effort got them right back into the game, as they headed into the final quarter trailing 38-36.
The Spartans and Falcons traded free throws early in the fourth before Briar Woods eventually evened things out at 39-39. Then Briar Woods junior guard Drew Hoehner hit a jumper to give the Falcons their first lead since the 4-3 mark early in the first quarter.
“Our girls could have gone down, sagged their heads, dropped in body language, but they didn’t,” Culhane said. “They stayed focused, pushed, stayed patient, executed when we needed to execute.”
Broad Run freshman guard Sajol Thornhill responded on the other end with a three-pointer off a kick out by Kelly.
With less than three minutes to play in the game, it looked like Briar Woods finally caught their break as junior forward Grace Nathan – who posted a 10-point, 16-rebound double-double – buried a three from the top to give her Falcons a 48-45 lead. Those three points, however, would be the last Briar Woods would score.
On the ensuing Spartans’ possession, Kelly drew a foul from Crawford – her fifth – as the senior headed to the bench after a solid second half effort.
Our girls could have gone down, sagged their heads, dropped in body language, but they didn’t. They stayed focused, pushed, stayed patient, executed when we needed to execute.
—Broad Run head coach Kate Culhane
As they had throughout the night, the Spartans took advantage of the Falcons’ foul trouble to rally off 7 straight points, including a pair of clutch free throws by junior forward Kayla Jenkins – who also collected a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
Broad Run (0-2, 3-4) will look to ride this momentum into the new year, while Briar Woods (1-0, 5-2) will look to use their extended break to get back on track before heading into the meat of their Potomac District schedule.
“I’m just so happy for the girls,” Culhane said. “They completely earned it. They’re learning how to earn it every single game.”
Derrick Jerry captured 60+ photos at the game…
Broad Run Stats
| Broad Run | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Free Throws |
| Sara Kelly | 13 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2-for-5 |
| Yvonne Lee | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Sydney Sokol | 11 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3-for-6 |
| Kayla Jenkins | 11 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5-for-8 |
| Sajol Thornhill | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-for-7 |
| Sidney Ramos | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Rachel Andruzzi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Spartans Totals | 52 | 39 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 12-for-26 |
Briar Woods Stats
| Briar Woods | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Free Throws |
| Camryn Adkins | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6-for-8 |
| Grace Nathan | 10 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5-for-9 |
| Marissa Almonte | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Hannah Crawford | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3-for-4 |
| Drew Hoehner | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Abby Crane | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-4 |
| Teia Perez | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Kayce Shin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Falcons Totals | 48 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 18-for-31 |