Ashburn, Va. — In a Potomac District semifinal, the No. 1 Briar Woods Falcons (10-0, 21-1) took a comfortable lead early against the No. 4 Lightridge Lightning (4-6, 12-12) and cruised to a 66-38 victory on February 14 in Ashburn.
“It is a really good boost of momentum especially coming from a really good district,” Briar Woods senior forward Hope Drake said. “We placed ourselves in a good spot for the region tournament and hopefully moving on to states.”
The Falcons began the game defensively with a full-court press 1-2-2 zone that put pressure on the Lightning right out of the gate. Lightridge was able to exploit the weaknesses of the zone early on with quick, accurate passes from the backcourt guards to get the ball up the court early.
“We just have to keep hunkering down,” Briar Woods head coach Raven Short said. “Every team is solid and every team that we play is really good.”
The two teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter. Lightridge sophomore guard Molly Bollhorst was able to knock down two early threes to tie the game at 9-9. Bollhorst finished with a team leading 11 points and 4 rebounds. However, the Falcons started to find their rhythm offensively going on a 7-0 run to end the quarter, giving them a 16-9 lead heading into the second.
The Lightning were able to fight back to begin the second quarter cutting the Falcons’ lead to as few as three points. Baskets from sophomore guard Jalyn Childress and sophomore forward Riley Thomas contributed to the offensive boost for Lightridge.
In an intense showdown midway through the second quarter, Short had to make some changes to the defensive scheme.
“We figured out how they were breaking into some of our stuff and adjusted off of that,” Short said.
The adjustments paid immediate dividends on the defensive side forcing three consecutive turnovers. Briar Woods was able to capitalize on those mistakes and finish the first half on a 10-0 run, heading into the locker room up 30-17.
Right at the halftime buzzer, Drake was fouled beyond the three point line, sending her to the free throw line. By making all three of her free throws, she extended her consecutive free throws streak to 50. During the third quarter, the streak was snapped, however the record stands as tied for the sixth most consecutive free throws made in girls high school basketball history, according to NFHS. Drake finished the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
“It feels amazing having all my hard work I put into free throws pay off,” Drake said. “It is a great accomplishment, but it’s okay that it’s over.”
The Falcons were on cruise control for the rest of the second half. With an intensified full-court press on defense, they were able to force 7 Lightridge turnovers in the fourth quarter which helped them outscore the Lightning 36-19 in the second half, ultimately leading to a 28-point victory.
“We have to make sure we are locked in,” Short said. “They are a good team, and we’ve had their number the last couple of times, but they are ready to go.”