Ashburn, Va. — After the girls basketball matchup between Stone Bridge and Potomac Falls High Schools, things in the Potomac District are getting a lot more interesting. Although the Panthers entered the night atop the standings with a 3-0 district record, the Bulldogs overcame a 5-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter—after leading at the half—to claim the 48-45 win on January 24 in Ashburn.
Potomac Falls jumped out to the early lead behind a three from junior forward Amanda Gobeille (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and a layup from sophomore forward Ella Rossiter (11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals). But the balanced Stone Bridge attack forced a couple turnovers that led to four different Bulldogs finding the basket to double-up the lead, 10-5.
After Potomac Falls senior guard Brynn Hunter (10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist) converted on a couple free throws, and both teams made a few trips up and down the court with no success, Gobeille got inside to the basket to cut the Stone Bridge lead to 1.
But once again, the Bulldogs had an answer as senior guard Katherine Streaker (6 points, 1 assist) found senior guard Reagan Skorupski (9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) inside for a layup, and then a rebound from Skorupski and an assist from freshman guard Keeley Billings (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) gave Streaker an opportunity to sink a three-pointer from the left wing to give Stone Bridge its largest lead of the night at 15-9.
Potomac Falls sophomore guard McKinley Gough (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) responded immediately with a basket from just inside the arc. Then Rossiter grabbed a couple steals and forced a few Stone Bridge turnovers before finishing inside to end the first quarter, 16-13.
“We got rattled a little bit,” Stone Bridge head coach Emily Thompson said. “We were a little panicked, so we started rushing. We just needed to slow things down, swing the ball, and find the good, open shots.”
The defenses stepped up their game in the second quarter, as both teams committed several turnovers and were limited to single-digit output. A three-pointer by Hunter to kick off the quarter provided the game’s first tie, but Stone Bridge answered with a basket from senior forward Angela Newton (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals) and free throws from sophomore guard Sheila Suarez (16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals).
Rossiter got inside again for another layup, and a couple plays later, Potomac Falls freshman guard Tatiana Doane (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals, 1 block) converted on a free throw to cut the Stone Bridge lead to 1 heading into the locker room.
“We try to preach to get out and run,” Thompson said. “Potomac Falls always plays good defense, so it’s about moving the ball, reading the defense, and taking what they’re giving you. A few times we shot too fast and didn’t wait for something to open up.”
The Panthers continued applying pressure, grabbing rebounds, and forcing turnovers out of the break. Gobeille recorded half of her 10 points and 2 of her 3 rebounds in the third quarter. Doane was also more involved, scoring the remainder of her points in the third. Although the Bulldogs received contributions from five different players, Potomac Falls outscored them 15-9 to take a 5-point lead heading into the final frame.
Stone Bridge came out on fire in the fourth quarter as Suarez converted on back-to-back steals to bring the Bulldogs within 1. After both teams had a couple unsuccessful trips up and down the court, Suarez—who scored 10 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter—finished again following another Potomac Falls turnover to swing the lead in her team’s favor.
“Our defense was a lot more active than it’s been, which was nice to see. We’ve struggled getting four consecutive quarters of competitive play,” Thompson said. “Tonight, we saw some small lapses, but there were fewer lapses overall, so it was nice to see our girls come out and get three or four turnovers to open the fourth quarter.”
A couple free throws from Billings then extended the Stone Bridge lead to 3. Although the Panthers made it interesting by converting on free throws from Rossiter and Hunter, baskets by Skorupski and Suarez allowed the Bulldogs to maintain their lead.
Potomac Falls was not going away, though, as a steal and an assist from Gough to Rossiter brought the Panthers within 2. With time dwindling, the Panthers started fouling to get the ball back; however, Suarez and Streaker converted on their free throws to extend the Stone Bridge lead to 5. But a huge 3 from Gough with less than a minute on the clock made it a one-possession game.
Doane made a steal out of a timeout and was headed down court, but Stone Bridge stole the ball right back and got fouled. Skorupski made one of her free throws to bring the game to 48-45. Although Doane made one last effort at a three-pointer with hopes of tying the game and forcing overtime, the shot missed and time expired, as the Bulldogs held on for the victory.
Now tied for first in the district with Lightridge, Potomac Falls (3-1, 14-3) will look to reclaim sole possession of the top spot when they host the Lightning on January 27 before traveling to Independence on January 30. With the win, Stone Bridge (2-2, 7-7) improves to .500 on the season and moves into a three-way tie for third. With a tough week ahead, they will look to continue their win streak when they travel to Riverside on January 28 and host Lightridge on January 30.
“[This win] shows our team what we’re capable of. Tonight really shows the girls we are capable,” Thompson said. “It’s a good reboot and final push for the last few weeks of the regular season.”
Maya Lopez captured 75+ photos at the game!
Stone Bridge Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Sheila Suarez | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6-for-8 |
| Reagan Skorupski | 9 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1-for-2 |
| Keeley Billings | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3-for-4 |
| Katherine Streaker | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-for-4 |
| Angela Newton | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Layla Brownlee | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Charlotte Borley | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-4 |
| Bethany Layton | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 48 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 14-for-24 |
Potomac Falls Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Ella Rossiter | 11 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3-for-6 |
| Amanda Gobeille | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-for-4 |
| Brynn Hunter | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5-for-6 |
| Tatiana Doane | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3-for-4 |
| McKinley Gough | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Katherine Yashina | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0-for-2 |
| Sadie OGrady | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Hallis Morris | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Emily Powell | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 45 | 30 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 15-for-24 |