Ashburn, Va. — One of the most anticipated matchups of the Loudoun County high school basketball season featured the Broad Run and Woodgrove boys basketball teams. Both sitting at 3-0 in the Catoctin District entering their first matchup of the season, the game lived up to the hype as both squads played suffocating defense for four quarters in a back-and-forth affair. The Spartans were down 40-32 with four minutes remaining, but a game-winning free throw by sophomore guard Kaden Foreman—his only point of the night—completed a late comeback and gave Broad Run a 46-45 win on January 28 in Ashburn.
“[Our performance] was pretty gritty,” Broad Run head coach Jacob Krogh said. “The fact that they kept fighting, I was really proud of them at that point as a coach. Even regardless of the win, I saw a lot of cool stuff as far as just the way we kept fighting.”
Broad Run got a bulk of their scoring from junior forward Ryan Brzezanski (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists) and junior guard Adam Perdue (15 points, 2 assists) while junior forward Brady Pollard (6 points, 4 rebounds) chipped in 6 points.
“We’ve had six different leading scorers now,” Krogh said. “ Down the stretch it was Ryan [Brzezanski], but in another way it was Brady [Pollard]’s night. He had maybe the biggest play of the game with that offensive rebound and putback. We have the luxury that Adam [Perdue] and Ryan [Brzezanski] are consistent scorers, but I think the team has bought into the fact that we don’t know whose night it’s going to be.”
On the other bench, Woodgrove received a team-high 16 points from senior center Dane Marsh (16 points, 10 rebounds). Junior forward Leo Walker (7 points, 3 rebounds) and senior guard Kenny Chicas (7 points, 3 rebounds) both contributed 7 points, while junior guard Caleb Roach (6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) added 6 points plus 8 rebounds.
Perdue opened up the scoring with a quick three-pointer less than 10 seconds in the contest. However, Woodgrove responded with close shots from junior forward Will Twetten (4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Marsh giving the Wolverines a 4-3 lead.
Later in the first frame, Walker made a three to put Woodgrove up 10-5, before Roach made a contested layup to close out the Woodgrove scoring and give them a 12-6 lead. Broad Run couldn’t capitalize on their 5 forced turnovers after shooting 18% from the field, while Woodgrove knocked down 56% of their shots.
Perdue hit another quick three to open up the second quarter, then after a Pollard layup, Perdue got to the charity stripe and made both free throws to put the Spartans on top, 13-12. Then, Broad Run continued to grow their lead after shooting at a better clip with 44% of their field attempts going in. Senior forward DJ Bennett knocked down a corner-three to put the Spartans up 20-14.
However, Woodgrove fought back in the last three minutes of the second quarter. Chicas made a three to start a 7-0 scoring run and put the Wolverines back in the lead, 21-20. Brzezanski made a free throw to tie the game, but Woodgrove senior guard Ben Zuczek knocked down a three-pointer just before time expired to give the Wolverines a 24-21 lead heading into halftime.
“The guys were waiting for this game,” Brzezanski said. “Last time they beat us here, so we’ve been waiting for this game. We just kept attacking and trusting ourselves, because we know that we can dominate anyone. And the crowd always shows up, it’s one of the best parts of playing here. They’re always here, even for little games, and they’re always loud.”
Woodgrove kept their lead throughout the third quarter as both teams went cold shooting—38% from Woodgrove, compared to 27% from Broad Run. The Spartans trimmed the deficit to 28-27 after junior guard Ben Bolle made a three, but the Wolverines held firm. Later in the third quarter, Marsh made a putback to grow the visitors’ lead to 35-31.
“In the first quarter, we were one of eight, but I’ll stand by all eight shots, they’re all good ones. I just kept telling [the team]to trust that they’re going to come,” Krogh said. “We never talk about makes or misses, we talk about shot selection. I liked our shot selection from three, we’ll live with it.”
After two consecutive two-pointers from Marsh, Woodgrove increased its lead to 40-32 three minutes into the fourth quarter. A 6-0 scoring run from Broad Run—capped off by a Brzezanski layup—trimmed the lead to 40-38. However, Marsh responded with a putback to make it a two possession game.
A couple possessions later, Brzezanski made a free throw then a second-chance layup to cut the Woodgrove lead to 42-41, but Zuczek responded with a contested layup. Brzezanski was helpful from the free-throw line, as he knocked down both attempts to trim the deficit to one point once again, 44-43.
Sloppy play and turnovers—6 turnovers from Woodgrove in the fourth quarter, compared to only 2 for Broad Run—plagued both teams in the last two minutes of the game, but Walker got fouled and made his second free throw to put Woodgrove up 45-43.
“We have not yet lost a game where we’ve kept somebody below 60 points,” Krogh said. “In all three losses, the team we’ve played eclipsed 60, and all 14 wins they’ve been below 60. Sub-60 is what we’re looking for and we got it.”
On the next possession, Perdue pulled up from the key, but his shot hit off of the front of the rim. However, Pollard made the putback, while drawing a foul, to tie the game at 45-45. His free-throw attempt was off target, giving Woodgrove a chance to win.
Twetten got an open look from three, but his shot missed. Foreman came down with the rebound for Broad Run and the referees called a foul on Woodgrove during the rebound, sending Foreman to the line with three seconds left in the game.
With the pressure, Foreman knocked down his first free throw. His second attempt missed, but the Woodgrove heave at the end of the game fell short, sending the home fans onto the court to give Broad Run a 46-45 win and control of the Catoctin District.
“Kaden Foreman, the sophomore, the way he stepped up for us,” Krogh said. “He had one point on the night, but talk about a big point. And before that, so many defensive possessions, he supercharged us. It’s really cool to see a kid who’s been coming off the bench, finishing a game in our biggest game of the year. He was ready for his moment.”
Broad Run (4-0, 14-3) has three upcoming road games, starting with Tuscarora on January 31. Woodgrove (3-1, 8-9) returns back home on the same night against Catoctin District foe John Champe.
“We have to keep playing the right way and see where it falls,” Krogh said. “So, as crazy as this game was, we have to take care of business. Park View, John Champe, Loudoun County all have potential, so we can’t overlook any of them. I just want our guys to play the right way. It was cool to see him get rewarded tonight.”