Ashburn, Va. — In a highly intense and defensive battle, the Briar Woods Falcons (10-0, 23-1) had to survive a late fourth quarter comeback by the Stone Bridge Bulldogs (7-3, 16-7) in order to secure a 43-34 win and become Potomac District Tournament Champions on February 16 in Ashburn.
“We talked about needing to have energy,” Briar Woods head coach Raven Short said. “I couldn’t have been prouder of how they started that game.”
The championship atmosphere and crowd noise could be felt from the start. It was a slow start offensively for both sides, but the veteran presence for the Falcons allowed them to settle in quicker than the Bulldogs. Briar Woods was able to control the paint early, with ten combined points from senior forwards Noelle Cabiness, Sienna Casillas, and Hope Drake.
Rebounds and control of the paint played a major role throughout the game. The Falcons were able to outrebound the Bulldogs by 7, led by Cabiness who had 15 of Briar Woods’ 32 total rebounds.
“We had to control the glass,” Short said. “With the size advantage we wanted to win that battle.”
Defensively, Short couldn’t have asked for a better start from her team. The Falcons held the Bulldogs to two points in the first quarter giving themselves a 10-2 lead heading into the second.
“As a team we were all communicating well on defense,” Cabiness said. “That helped stop some possessions and make them force bad shots.”
Back-to-back three point makes from Falcons’ senior guards Giuliana Bohmer and Jayden Shin to start the second quarter ignited the packed home stands. Briar Woods carried the momentum into the halftime break with a 21-10 lead.
Stone Bridge wasn’t going to go down without a fight, however. After Briar Woods extended the lead to as many as 14 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs began to chip away at the deficit.
With their title hopes on the line, sophomore guard Sravya Janapati and freshman forward Emma Spizuoco scored 6 of Stone Bridge’s 8 points to begin the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to just 5. The pressure was now on the Falcons’ to close out the game in front of their home fans.
“It was shaky there for a second,” Short said. “They are a great team, and we knew they were going to fight back.”
Stone Bridge continued to apply backcourt pressure on the Falcons causing back-to-back Briar Woods turnovers. Janapati continued to shine from beyond the arc making multiple three point shots in the final minutes keeping the Bulldogs within reach. Janapati finished with a team leading 12 points along with 4 rebounds and an assist.
However, down the stretch, Bohmer and Drake were able to make clutch free throws for Briar Woods, extending the lead back out to as many as 10. The Falcons were able to hang on after the Bulldogs’ near fourth quarter heroics to secure their second Potomac District Tournament Championship in as many seasons.
Both teams advance to the VHSL Region 5D tournament, where Briar Woods will host a region semifinal against either Riverbend or Lightridge on February 21. Meanwhile, Stone Bridge will host familiar foe Riverside on February 19.
“We just have to stay focused one game at a time,” Short said. “We have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we have to do to win.”