Ashburn, Va. — It didn’t take the Stone Bridge High School girls basketball team long to get on the board against Potomac Falls, nor did it take them very long to extend that lead. On a night when the Bulldogs honored three seniors, they jumped out to a 17-0 lead then never looked back, earning a convincing Potomac District win over the Panthers, 53-32, on February 5 in Ashburn.
“It was a big game, and it was our first time playing them, so we came out with a lot of energy, so we could get up quick,” Stone Bridge senior guard Addie Hafer said.
Before the opening tip, the Bulldogs celebrated Hafer and fellow senior guards Bella Aguayo and Lizzie Rubino.
“It’s unfortunate that Lizzie and Bella got hurt playing soccer, but it was nice to incorporate them in the opening tip,” Stone Bridge head coach Emily Thompon said. “Overall, those three kids are super dedicated to the program and super great kids. We’re going to miss them a lot next year.”
Having sustained injuries on the soccer field, Aguayo and Rubino didn’t play more than the opening tip, but Hafer made sure the Class of 2024 shined on senior night.
“Those are my best friends,” Hafer said. “I’ve gotten to play basketball and soccer with them for the past four years, so it’s just really cool to get to finish out senior year with them.”
After a junior, freshman, and sophomore got the Bulldogs out to a 10-0 lead, Hafer buried a three, blocked a shot, then buried another three as Stone Bridge went on a 17-0 run to open the game.
“My team was getting really into it, and they were super hyped up for senior night,” Hafer said. “That made the game so much more exciting, especially hitting those threes early on.”
While the ball was dropping early for Stone Bridge, Potomac Falls struggled to get shot opportunities as the Bulldogs forced 11 turnovers on 8 steals in the first quarter alone.
As the Stone Bridge defense set the tone, the Bulldog offense continued to pass the ball well, finding Hafer behind the arc two more times in the first half as the senior led the first-half scoring effort with 12 points.
“We came out very strong, pushing the ball and getting the ball to the open girl,” Thompson said. “We’re a very good three-point shooting team and when we’re on, we just have to keep feeding our shooters; that’s what we did tonight.”
After taking a 32-15 lead into halftime, Stone Bridge got right back to it in the third quarter when freshman forward Ava Ryan scored on a pass from Hafer before junior guard Reagan Skorupski finished on a tough and-one to make the score 37-20.
After Potomac Falls cut the lead to 37-24, Stone Bridge sophomore shooting guard Sravya Janapati hit her second three of the game, tying the program’s single-season three-point shooting mark. On the very next possession, Janapati cemented her name at the top of the list with her 53rd three-pointer of the season.
“Sravya broke the single-season three point record tonight, and she’s only a sophomore,” Thompson said. “I’m really excited to see what she can do as she continues to develop as a threat both inside and out.”
That Janapati triple extended the Bulldog lead to 47-26, matching their biggest lead of the game until that point. Two possessions later Janapati hit another three to give the Bulldogs a 21-point advantage as they coasted to victory, 53-32.
No. 2 Stone Bridge (6-2, 15-4) will look to ride their three-point barrage into a matchup with No. 3 Riverside (6-3, 14-7) on February 7. Meanwhile, No. 5 Potomac Falls (2-6, 9-11) will look to get back in the win column against No. 4 Lightridge (3-6, 11-10) on February 7 before hosting a rematch with Stone Bridge on February 9.
“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. What we did tonight was awesome, so we won’t be changing much,” Thompson said. “For us, it’s pretty simple: if we keep playing the way we play, we’ll be in a good position.”
Derrick Jerry captured 250+ photos at the game!
Stone Bridge Stats
| Stone Bridge | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Addie Hafer | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Sravya Janapati | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Ava Ryan | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Reagan Skorupski | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1-for-1 |
| Katherine Streaker | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4-for-4 |
| Sheila Suarez | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Angela Newton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Mady O’Neill | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Sienna Lawyer | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Emma Spizuoco | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Bella Aguayo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Lizzie Rubino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 53 | 22 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 9-for-15 |
Potomac Falls Stats
| Potomac Falls | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Meagan Njamen | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Emily Powell | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Brynn Hunter | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Evalina O’Mara | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Sadie O’Grady | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Hallis Morris | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Amanda Gobeille | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| McKinley Gough | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Cecilia O’Grady | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Victoria Eichensehr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Kerstin Anderson | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Katherine Yashina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-2 |
| Kelly Hoyle | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Ariana Jannati | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 32 | 29 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 5-for-10 |