Ashburn, Va. — In a matchup that has grown more and more intense over the last few seasons, the Woodgrove Wolverines (0-0, 12-0) weathered a third-quarter run by Briar Woods (0-0, 10-1) to fend off the Falcons, 49-37, in a non-league game on January 4 in Ashburn.
“If we didn’t play our absolute hardest, we knew we weren’t going to have a chance,” Woodgrove head coach Derek Fisher said. “This was an effort game, both teams left it out there.”
The Wolverines could not have gotten off to a better start. Two quick 3-point shots from junior center Valerie Blankenship put Woodgrove up 6-0, and it wasn’t long before the Falcons found themselves down 10-0. Turnovers cost Briar Woods possessions early, but the Falcons settled in and were able to cut the lead to 6 before the end of the first quarter.
The intensity rose in the second quarter when Woodgrove freshman forward May Marsh and Briar Woods senior forward Avery Maltese traded fastbreak blocks on consecutive possessions.
“It’s really hard to score in the paint against Briar Woods,” Fisher said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to score and it wasn’t. But we took what was there.”
Blankenship continued to dominate offensively, scoring 13 of Woodgrove’s 25 points in the first half, helping them take a comfortable 10-point lead into the break.
Out of halftime Briar Woods needed to match the intensity the Wolverines played with in the first half, and that’s exactly what they did. The Falcons started the half on a 9-0 run of their own with contributions from all of their starters.
“We knew we were going to have to weather that. They are too good of a team, they weren’t going anywhere,” Fisher said. “We knew it was coming.”
Briar Woods exploded offensively, scoring more points in the third quarter than in the first two combined. Seniors Giuliana Bohmer and Hope Drake led their team with 5 points each in the third quarter alone. Bohmer finished the game with 10 points and 4 rebounds, while Drake finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds. With the Wolverines lead cut to only one point by the end of the third quarter, the game was set up for a great finish.
That was when Angelina Nice arrived. The Woodgrove senior guard took over offensively in the final quarter scoring 7 of the Wolverines’ 13 fourth quarter points, finishingwith 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.
“We all just wanted it as a team,” Nice said. “We were hustling back on defense, we were passing the ball around, we were getting open shots. We were able to come back.”
With big baskets, clean passes, and some clutch free throws in the final minutes the Wolverines pulled away to win their twelfth straight game to begin this season.
“We all want it. This year we are heading for a state championship,” Nice said. “Individuals are good but as a team winning overall is the best thing.”
The Woodgrove Wolverines will continue to build upon their undefeated season when they travel to Loudoun County High School to open Catoctin District play on January 9 in Leesburg. The Briar Woods Falcons will look to open their Potomac District schedule with a win when they travel to Riverside to play the Rams on January 8.
“We just need to get back into a routine. We played 11 games in December and had a sketchy schedule as far as practices go,” Fisher said. “The players have played well, but we have to get back to a day-by-day improvement.”