Leesburg, Va. — On the first day back after an extended winter break thanks to three consecutive snow days, the girls basketball teams from Loudoun County and Tuscarora High School were back in action for a crosstown matchup before district play begins next week. While the Huskies led after the first and second quarters, the Captains used a big third quarter to pull ahead and hold on for the 42-36 win on January 8 in Leesburg.
“The girls really took it upon themselves [to turn things around in the second half],” Loudoun County head coach Raven Short said. “With such a young team and some veteran leaders, it’s really nice to see them starting to build as we’re in the second third of the season. So, I gotta give them the credit.”
Loudoun County jumped out to the early 6-2 lead as their defense forced Tuscarora turnovers which then led to offensive opportunities. Sophomore guard Sammy Boyers (11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals) led the way early with three of her five steals in the first quarter. Boyers also contributed a 3-pointer to extend the Captains lead to 9-4 midway through the quarter.
But it was all Tuscarora after that point, as the Huskies responded with a 3-pointer of their own and then tied the game thanks to a couple rebounds and a couple free throws from freshman forward Nyomi Perkins (7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal). A basket by junior guard Audrey Szebalskie (7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) put the Huskies up for the first time since the opening shot to end the first quarter, 11-9.
Boyers opened the scoring in the second quarter after a steal from senior guard Esther Paul (7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 3 steals, 1 assist) gave the Captains possession. Freshman guard Kristin Henly (1 point, 7 rebounds, 1 assist) collected a defensive and offensive rebound before Paul grabbed an offensive board and put it up for another basket as Loudoun County reclaimed the lead.
“Esther is a captain, and I know that she is able to keep that in mind while also leading and playing and doing some of those other things,” Short said. “I was really leaning on her and Sammy Boyers tonight.”
After a Szebalskie 3-pointer tied the game for the fourth time, Boyers immediately answered with another 3-pointer of her own. But once again, the Huskies rallied late in the quarter to erase the deficit and reclaim the lead. Taking advantage of a handful of missed free throws and coming up big defensively with rebounds from junior center Paige Hahn (4 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks), Tuscarora went on a 6-0 run before the Captains snuck in one last basket before the half to cut the Huskies lead to 20-19 heading into the locker room.
“For the first time in a long time, I was actually pretty quiet [during halftime]. That doesn’t happen very often,” Short said. “But I think for the girls, as they’re starting to get to know one another and the way that they play, they kind of pulled themselves together, and they were the ones that said, ‘This isn’t who we are, this isn’t how we play’.”
For Loudoun County, the third quarter started the same way the second quarter finished: with a basket by freshman forward Sami White (17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 1 assist). But there was a noticeable shift in energy and momentum in the second half as the Captains took control of their fate.
“I just thought we played really slow in the beginning, and it shouldn’t have been that close,” White said. “So I tried to pick up our energy.”
White contributed 8 of her game-high 17 points in the third quarter and provided the spark the Captains needed to pull ahead for good. Loudoun County capitalized on a couple steals early in the quarter by feeding White the ball for the finish and the 29-22 lead.
“Sami is one of those generational players in the sense of her ability to impact so many facets of the game,” Short said. “As only a freshman, she’s still learning how to take over that game, and sometimes I have to nudge her and be that supportive system in her ear saying, ‘Hey, you are really good, and when you put your mind to it, not very many people can stop you’. And I think when she sees that once or twice, then she gets that momentum going, and you saw that at the start of the third quarter. She was able to impact in so many ways, and she’s a special kid.”
But when White got into foul trouble late in the third quarter, the Huskies took advantage of a few free throws from Perkins, sophomore forward Sicily Ure (5 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists), and senior forward Natalie Tikalsky (8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist) to bring the game back within 5.
Defense played a big role in the final stretch of the third, as Hahn made a block and grabbed a couple rebounds, and players from both sides prevented their opponent from scoring. In the final minute, Paul secured a 3-pointer to cap off the Captains’ 15-point third quarter—which put them up 34-26—but recorded her fourth foul just before time expired.
With two of her starters sidelined with four fouls each to start the fourth quarter, Short looked to her bench to fill the gap. Despite not scoring until a free throw on one of the last plays of the game, Henly stepped up big for the Captains, contributing strong defense and a few rebounds. Senior forward Olivia Eastlake (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist) also made her presence known by adding a couple points to maintain the lead.
“I was able to put in some of those subs who were able to be versatile in those moments,” Short said. “That’s a lot of trust, but the girls wanted this game.”
After baskets from Ure and Tikalsky brought Tuscarora right back on the Captains’ heels, White and Paul reentered the game for the final stretch.
“Both Esther and Sami coming back into the game in foul trouble were able to focus in and play within themselves,” Short said. “But obviously not over-aggressive with their layups like they had been in the first half.”
Although Loudoun County would only score on free throws for the remainder of the game, they prevented the Huskies from having further opportunities by deflecting passes and out-rebounding Tuscarora 14-11 in the fourth quarter.
“We’re very fortunate to have a lot of length and a lot of lanky limbs,” Short said. “We’ve also got some really good rebounding guards. So playing within our system, we know that we’re not gonna have a ton of post presence, but we use our length at the wing position and at the guard position, and having guard rebounders really helps to pick up some of that slack.”
White contributed 4 more points in the fourth quarter on free throws, and despite some late efforts from the Huskies, the Captains secured the 42-36 win.
“The seniors have been really good in leading us and helping us pick up our energy and knowing what to do,” White said. “I also really like Coach Short because she knows when to push us and when to let us chill.”
With the victory, Loudoun County (0-0, 5-5) improves to a .500 record heading into district play. With such a young team and a new coach this season, the Captains are finding their groove and will look to continue the momentum when they face Woodgrove on January 14 and Park View on January 16. Tuscarora (0-0, 0-10) will continue to fight for their first win when they host Independence on January 10 and Heritage on January 13.
Loudoun County Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Sami White | 17 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7-for-18 |
| Sammy Boyers | 11 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Esther Paul | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Olivia Eastlake | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-1 |
| Sharon Manni | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Kristin Henly | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Elena Ward | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Zoe Ward | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 42 | 37 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 9-for-23 |
Tuscarora Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Natalie Tikalsky | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4-for-7 |
| Nyomi Perkins | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3-for-4 |
| Audrey Szebalskie | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0-for-0 |
| Sicily Ure | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-4 |
| Paige Hahn | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2-for-2 |
| Madison Motley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Lily Middleton | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Kasi Horvatinovich | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Chloe Page | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 36 | 38 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10-for-17 |