Purcellville, Va. — After having its season cut short in a heartbreaking loss to the eventual region champion last year, the Woodgrove High School girls basketball team had its goals set coming into its 2021-2022 campaign. The Wolverines dominated the regular season then cruised through the Potomac District playoffs, earning home court advantage through the entire region tournament.
“Last year was a disappointment for sure. We put in a lot of work, and we weren’t happy with the outcome,” Woodgrove senior forward Ashley Steadman said. ‘We’re the type of team that isn’t going to let that get to us, so we came back even stronger and knew what we wanted, so that’s what we were fighting for.”
Led by the same starting five from last winter, the Wolverines were not going to let anyone slow them down this year as they earned double-digit victories in their region quarterfinal and region semifinal games to set up a rematch with Potomac District foe Briar Woods in the VHSL Region 5D championship.
On March 1, In front of a home crowd in Purcellville, Woodgrove got rolling in the second quarter and never looked back as the Wolverines defeated the Falcons for the fourth time this season, 63-42, and brought the VHSL Region 5D title back home.
“We’re just happy to get through it,” Woodgrove head coach Derek Fisher said. “Everybody’s been through a lot these last couple of years so to have a normal season with people in the bleachers and the big game feel, you feel really good for all the kids who are able to participate.”
[adrotate banner=”54″]Woodgrove and Briar Woods were knotted up after the first quarter, before Woodgrove sophomore point guard Sadie Shores and Steadman got rolling in the second quarter as the Wolverines started to create some separation.
Shores and Steadman were the keystone pieces to the Wolverines’ offense all season and they were not going to let the bright lights of the region championship get in their way as the duo finished 23 and 22, respectively, to lead all scorers. Shores also added in 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, while Steadman chipped in 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
“It’s not just about stats for me; it’s about how my teammates perceive me,” Shores said. “If I can raise up the people around me, they’re going to raise me up, too. I’m just glad to win this with my team.”
In addition to Shores and Steadman, the Wolverines saw crucial contributions offensively, on the glass, and on the defensive end from returning starters Colette Baine, Tara Mullen, and Jenna Steadman.
“To have our starting five back is a huge plus that unfortunately a lot of teams don’t have,” the elder Steadman said. “Our togetherness has really helped us grow on and off the court.”
Having fallen into a 16-point deficit after the third quarter, the Falcons also stuck together and showed off their depth as sophomore guard Guiliana Bohmer came off the bench to drill a pair of threes to cut the deficit to just 10.
“That’s a quality team who knows how to win, and they proved that earlier this week when they went down and beat some really good teams after some long bus rides,” Fisher said. “[In the games against us,] the scores have been misleading, just like tonight was; this was a back and forth game.”
Unfortunately for Briar Woods, their spark was short-lived as Shores quickly got to the bucket on the other end before Steadman knocked down a three to stretch the lead back to 50-35.
“In playoff basketball, if you can string together a few stops and maintain a margin, that’s usually enough to hold on,” Fisher said.
Down the stretch, Briar Woods sophomore forward Hope Drake did what she could to keep her Falcons in the game on the offensive end, but the Wolverines’ firepower was too much as Woodgrove claimed the VHSL Region 5D title.
With the region title secured, Woodgrove will turn its focus to the VHSL Class 5 State tournament where the Wolverines will host Region 5C runner up Highland Springs on March 4 in Purcellville. Briar Woods will travel to Region 5C champion Glen Allen on the same night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
“We just want to focus on ourselves. There’s so much out there in terms of scouting and Xs and Os, but we just have to play,” Fisher said. “The truth is, even if we have the world’s greatest scouting report, by about the second quarter it’s like open gym: you have to be ready to guard people, rebound, and hit open shots when you get them.”
Katey Jackson captured 200+ photos at the game!
Woodgrove Stats
| Woodgrove | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Sadie Shores | 23 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4-for-4 |
| Ashley Steadman | 22 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2-for-4 |
| Tara Mullen | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Colette Baine | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1-for-4 |
| Jenna Steadman | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Tabitha Miller | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Maddie Pabon | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Lisa Nice | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 63 | 29 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 10-for-18 |
Briar Woods Stats
| Briar Woods | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Hope Drake | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Noelle Cabiness | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0-for-0 |
| Giuliana Bohmer | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Avery Maltese | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-4 |
| Taylor Price | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Ainsley Veatch | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Tia Chen | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Jadyn Shin | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Caprice Bohmer | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Krista Tehan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 42 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 3-for-8 |