Ashburn, Va. — It took the Briar Woods High Schools girls basketball team just one night to earn its first win of the 2023-2024 season, while making history at the same time.
“It’s always big to get that first win,” Briar Woods head coach Raven Short said. “It’s big for our team, our confidence, and for the goals we have this year.”
In their opening night clash, the Falcons exploded offensively to defeat the Dominion Titans, 66-28, while senior forward Hope Drake became the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer on November 28 in Ashburn.
“It feels great. I’m surrounded by such an amazing group of people, so it’s really great to share that moment with them and start this season off with a good win,” Drake said.
The Falcons took control early and didn’t look back. Briar Woods dominated the first quarter offensively, outsourcing the Titans 21-9 in the first eight minutes. Senior forward—and Le Moyne commit—Noelle Cabiness made four of her first five shot attempts and scored a quarter-high 9 points in the first quarter. By the end of the night, Cabiness finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block.
In the second quarter, multiple Briar Woods freshmen impressed during their first opportunities to play high school basketball. Nina Keltz was able to knock down a buzzer-beating corner three to put the Falcons up 20 points at halftime. Sadie Auch was active on the perimeter knocking down her first shot attempt from three-point range and picking up a steal on the other end. The duo combined for 11 points on 50% shooting.
“Getting the freshmen acclimated, giving them some minutes. Allowing them to get a feel for the speed of the game. It’s big,” Short said. “Depth is one of our biggest assets.”
During the second quarter history was made when Drake made a three pointer to make her the Briar Woods girls basketball all-time leading scorer with more than 1087 points.
Even with the record in hand, Drake didn’t let the big moment get in her way. In the third alone, Drake converted 67% of her shots, scoring 10 of Briar Woods’ 20 points in the quarter. Drake finished the night with a game-high 19 points making 7 of her 17 shots. She also added 9 rebounds along with 4 steals and 2 assists as well.
The Falcons’ continued to shoot the ball well, making over 40% of the three-point attempts on the night. One of the more impressive offensive performances came from senior guard Giuliana Bohmer who added 19 points for the Falcons, making 8 of her 12 shots.
Dominion struggled to find consistent offense throughout the game, however, there were some bright spots on a team looking to improve from last season. Sophomore guard Aniston Kimble scored a team-high 11 points and added on 2 assists as well. Junior guard Ahria Mehta was active on the glass recording 6 rebounds while adding 5 points.
The Titans (0-0, 0-1) will look to earn their first win of the season when they travel to Fairfax on November 30 to face off with the Woodson Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Falcons (0-0, 1-0) will continue their non-league schedule at home when they host the Loudoun Valley Vikings on December 5.
“We need to continue building chemistry,” Short said. “Getting better each and every day is the major goal.”