Leesburg, Va. — In their last game of the regular season, the Heritage High School girls basketball team hosted Loudoun Valley in a battle of the top two teams in the Dulles District. Some early uncharacteristic errors set the Pride back from the start and created an environment where they were forced to play catch-up for most of the game. After battling back to tie it at 34-34 heading into the final frame, Heritage pulled ahead and then held off the Vikings to earn the 46-43 victory on February 17 in Leesburg, securing a second consecutive Dulles District regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the VHSL Region 4C tournament.
“They were trying to change the environment around them, and I was like, ‘This is the environment, so you have to learn how to play in what we are in right now, to the best of your ability. Your job at this point is to trust what we have you in and then execute’,” Heritage head coach Tayler Cook said. “I felt like they did that in the second half. We didn’t change anything from the first half to the second half, but I feel like we just played hard, and that is the biggest thing. The weight is heavy on the shoulders of some girls, and I feel like we needed this game. We needed to be rattled and to figure out what we have to do [to overcome challenges].”
Loudoun Valley jumped out to the early lead behind threes from junior guard Hailey Dunkerley (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) and junior guard Jordan Phillips (8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block). The Pride were trying to force passes and rush shots, which led to a handful of turnovers and opportunities for the Vikings to take the 8-3 advantage.
Heritage responded as senior guard Riley Makitka (14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals) found senior forward Alyssa Stanford (10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block) before the defense had time to set up and then immediately made a steal and a layup of her own to cut the deficit to one. After a couple unsuccessful trips up and down the court for both teams, Makitka then hit a pair of free throws to give the Pride their first lead of the night at 9-8.
“When we start off a little rough, I try to keep my composure. The last couple games, I feel like my shots were a little off, so I focused on getting to the rim and drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line,” Makitka said. “We’re a very mental team, so I feel like when things happen, saying good job or calming each other down and trying to make sure we’re in the right headspace is important, because once our heads are good, then obviously we start to do better.”
It was short-lived, though, as Loudoun Valley senior forward Maggie Mills (14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block) sank another three for the Vikings. Although Stanford countered with a 2-point jumper from the corner, Dunkerley brought the ball down the court on the next inbound and dropped a deep two of her own to put Loudoun Valley up 13-11 after the first frame.
The Vikings won the battle on the boards in the second quarter, out-rebounding the Pride 12-5. Mills contributed 4 of her game-high 7 rebounds, and Loudoun Valley senior forward Payton Mandichak (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) pitched in with 3. This led to additional opportunities on offense, as the Vikings used a 9-3 run—during which Mills recorded 6 of her game-high 14 points—to build their largest lead of the night at 22-13.
Heritage junior guard Keira Stanford (12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals) and Makitka fueled the Pride offense, splitting the team’s 12 second-quarter points. Keira Stanford hit a 3, and then Makitka got to the basket and made a steal and a layup on the subsequent inbound with just seconds left before halftime to bring the score to 27-23 heading into the locker room.
“I was really frustrated at halftime. I went into the locker room and I said, ‘This is not the identity that we get to have.’ I felt like they were questioning each other. They were questioning decisions instead of just doing things to the best of their ability,” Cook said. “We were so rattled in the first half, and we told them that at halftime. It was one pass to a shot, one pass to a shot and I was like, ‘That has not been our identity all year, and when we beat Loudoun Valley the first time at Valley, that was not our identity’.”
Heritage picked up the defense out of the locker room, as steals from Alyssa Stanford and senior forward Cadence Holman (2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) led to baskets which evened the score at 27-all. The Pride forced 15 second-half turnovers, limited the Vikings to single-digit points in the third and fourth quarters, and used the defensive effort to swing the momentum their way.
“[To get Loudoun Valley off their rhythm], we applied a lot of pressure. We get hype on defense and that’s where we’re strong, and then our defense leads to our offense,” Makitka said. “Pressuring the ball, rebounding, getting steals, and throwing them off helps us align on our offensive side.”
After Mills found Mandichak under the rim to reclaim the lead, Heritage senior guard Julia Ehrmantraut (8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block) stepped up with a 2-pointer and a 3-pointer from nearly the same spot to give the Pride their first lead since midway through the first quarter.
“We were executing, we were hitting cutters, we were hitting extra passes, and we were able to score that way,” Cook said. “That was another thing that we preached at halftime: run our sets, let it develop, and then see what you have, and we’ll figure it out after that.”
Although Mandichak and Mills scored on back-to-back Loudoun Valley possessions to swing the advantage back to the Vikings’ side, Alyssa Stanford converted on a pair of free throws to even the score at 34-34 before the final frame.
The teams went back-and-forth to start the fourth, but a basket by Loudoun Valley senior guard Alyssa Tribino (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) to put her team up by one would be the last lead the Vikings would hold. The Pride benefited from a 9-2 run—during which Makitka controlled the pace with 5 of her game-high 7 rebounds, 3 of her game-high 6 steals, 3 of her game-high 14 points, and 2 of her game-high 6 assists—giving them their largest lead at 43-38 after a basket from Holman from the free throw line.
“We got into the locker room, and Tayler told us that we were losing the rebound battle, and that we needed to get it together if we wanted to win,” Makitka said. “We came out in the second half just wanting it more: boxing out and getting them back.”
All of Loudoun Valley’s remaining production would come from the free throw line, as Phillips and Mills brought the score within one at 43-42. But solid free throw shooting from Makitka and Alyssa Stanford allowed Heritage to hold off the Vikings and seal the 46-43 victory.
“We need to continue to work on our half-court execution, and we need to continue to build confidence in those kids that are getting the three or four shots a game and not the fifteen shots a game. Cadence Holman’s shot was huge at the end, and all year we’ve been like, ‘You just gotta shoot it when you’re open. Everybody else would shoot it, you shoot it’,” Cook said. “We’ve been doing some things in practice where, for example, Alyssa can’t shoot or Keira’s off the court and she’s not allowed to play. We’re figuring out where other kids can fit and score in that rotation, and I honestly think we’re gonna have to do more of that because I think we’re gonna see a lot of zone. They’re gonna pack it in and see if we can make a shot.”
Not only did the win secure back-to-back Dulles District titles for Heritage, but it also solidified the Pride as the No. 1 seed in the VHSL Region 4C tournament. Quarterfinal games will start on February 20 where Heritage (8-0, 16-5) will host No. 8 Dominion and No. 3 Loudoun Valley (6-2, 15-8) will square off against No. 6 Broad Run.
“We will be focusing on staying consistent, especially in the long run. It’s a long season, so we just need to make sure we’re consistently hitting our shots, doing all the little things that we’ve been doing this entire year,” Makitka said. “I feel like that’s the big thing, as well as pushing each other in practice and always trying 100% of the time, to hopefully get back to the state championship.”
Derrick Jerry captured 125+ photos at the game!
Heritage Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Riley Makitka | 14 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4-for-6 |
| Keira Stanford | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1-for-4 |
| Alyssa Stanford | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4-for-4 |
| Julia Ehrmantraut | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Cadence Holman | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Total | 46 | 31 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 9-for-14 |
Loudoun Valley Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Maggie Mills | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4-for-4 |
| Hailey Dunkerley | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Payton Mandichak | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Jordan Phillips | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5-for-6 |
| Alyssa Tribino | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Tenley Mandichak | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Brianna Tribino | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Total | 43 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 10-for-16 |