Leesburg, Va. — Following two consecutive losses to Riverside and Potomac Falls, the Tuscarora High School boys basketball team was looking to bounce back in an early season matchup with Potomac District foe Briar Woods. The Huskies did just that, holding onto a 29-15 halftime lead after a late comeback by the Falcons to win 63-58 on December 13 in Leesburg.
“We have expectations,” Tuscarora head coach Michael Newkirk said. “Yes, it wasn’t the best of finishes, but we definitely were able to build on some things that in those losses that we were not doing so well. But tonight, unlike those previous two, we found a way to win.”
The Huskies hot start was led by junior guard Chas Battaglia and senior forward Joshua Feagin, who posted a team-high 15 points and 11 points and 5 rebounds, respectively 11 points along with 5 rebounds. Tuscarora senior guard Dylan Price produced 11 points, while sophomore guard Kevin Worley added a team-high 4 assists.
“[Chas Battaglia] is number 1 for a reason,” Newkirk said. “He’s going to guard their best offensive player, and then he’s going to be our best offensive weapon.”
Briar Woods junior guard Devon Pettibone had a game-high 21 points, despite battling early foul trouble. Briar Woods senior forward Patrick Fraim took up most of the scoring output when Pettibone was out of the game, finishing with 19 points and 4 rebounds.
After Fraim knocked down a three-pointer to open up the game, Tuscarora went on an 18-0 run before the end of the first quarter. Battaglia, Feagin, Price, and senior forward Oliver Winker all knocked down shots to rowdy up the crowd.
A layup by Pettibone with less than 15 second left in the quarter was the only other made basket for Briar Woods in the first eight minutes. The Falcons only made 20% of their shots in the first frame, while Tuscarora hit 78% from the field to lead 18-5.
The second quarter saw both teams go cold from three-point range. A combined seven threes attempted from both teams saw all of them bounce off the rim.
Still, Tuscarora saw their lead grow in the second frame. Battaglia got to the basket and made a very contested layup, while getting the foul call. Then, he made a free throw to push the Huskies lead to 23-7.
After trapping the ball handler and getting the turnover on the next possession. Worley made his way towards the basketball and received a shooting foul. He made two free throws to increase the lead even more to 25-7.
Later in the quarter, Fraim made a contested layup, and then two free throws on the following possession to trim the lead to 27-13. Two missed free throws by Tuscarora led to another contested layup by Fraim, but a made jumper by senior forward Isaac Ure sent both teams into halftime with a 29-15 Huskies lead.
“[The first half] was the difference in the game,” Newkirk said. “We played all 11 guys in the first quarter, something we don’t do. We were able to use that momentum. Briar Woods kept fighting, [coach Derek Butler]does a great job with them.”
The start of the third quarter was the same dominance for Tuscarora as junior forward Hayden Collins and senior guard Brennan Castoro both knocked down corner threes to increase the Huskies lead to 45-23 midway through the third frame.
Then, Briar Woods started to mount a comeback. Fraim made a floater while falling away from the basket, drawing the foul and making the free throw. He made two more free throws after that, while Pettibone got a steal plus the and-one to trim the lead to 45-31. Briar Woods senior forward Jacob Eckahus dropped in a three-pointer to end the third quarter down 48-34.
“The third quarter, we were distracted,” Newkirk said. “[Briar Woods] trimmed it right back down to the halftime lead. They made us pay for some things that we could do better overall.”
Tuscarora pushed their lead back out to 57-40 after Collins made another three-pointer, but the Huskies only attempted seven shots in the fourth quarter.
Two consecutive threes and a layup by Pettibone plus an easy layup by senior forward Kaden Miles cut the lead to 57-50 with less than two minutes on the clock.
After free throws for both teams, Tuscarora missed a shot and Pettibone made a fadeaway jumper on the other end of the floor to cut the lead to 59-54. A quick foul by the Falcons led to a made free throw by Tuscarora senior guard Travis Duggan.
Pettibone got the basket quickly and blew by his defender for an easy layup that reduced the lead to 60-56 with about 20 seconds left on the clock. However, the comeback attempt was too late for Briar Woods as Tuscarora made three free throws to ice the game, 63-58.
“At the end of the game, I think the biggest thing is the fourth quarter and closing [the game]out,” Battaglia said. “We had a 20-plus lead, and our defense got sloppy. We gave them momentum, we just got to close the game out.”
Tuscarora (0-0, 3-2) has the week off before traveling down to Harrisonburg on December 21. Briar Woods (0-0, 2-3) is back in action on December 19 at Heritage.
“We’re playing with house money,” Newkirk said. “Riverside and Potomac Falls are probably going to be the top of the class in the Potomac District. We’re Class 4, we’re playing with house money. We’re fine and those games were a really good way for us to have these learning moments, so when we hit our conference games, we’re going to be completely fine.”