Ashburn, Va. — In a wide-open district where anything can happen on a given night, every game matters and nothing can be taken for granted. That sentiment rang true for the Briar Woods High School girls basketball team when they hosted Independence for a Potomac District matchup. Using a steady offensive and defensive effort throughout the night, the Falcons took care of business and earned the 58-27 victory over the Tigers on January 28 in Ashburn.
“In this district, the games have been back-and-forth. Just when you think there’s a clear first place team, it swings. Any night anyone can win,” Briar Woods head coach Mike Gallagher said. “We took that attitude after our last loss and said, ‘We gotta prepare for everybody.’ We also know that defending your home court is really critical. This happened to be Senior Night, and we’re especially proud that our two seniors both contributed today and had good games.”
Although the Tigers struck first with a steal and a basket by junior guard Brianna Thweatt (3 points, 2 steals, 1 block), it was all Briar Woods from that point on, as four different players scored double-digit points and the Falcons received offensive contributions from nine total players. Led by junior forward Brianna Zaher (12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block)—who had 8 of her team-high 12 points in the first quarter behind two big 3-pointers to end the quarter—Briar Woods built on its lead and limited Independence to single-digit points each quarter.
In addition to Zaher, the Falcons offense was sparked by sophomore guards Sadie Auch (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) and Nina Keltz (10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals), who helped establish the early double-digit cushion after the first frame.
“This is a young team. Of this group, there was no significant varsity experience when we started,” Gallagher said. “As the season has progressed, you can see we went up and down, up and down, and now we’re starting to be consistent. That was the goal.”
The Tigers’ only answer seemed to be freshman forwards Landyn Carter (13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block)—who was 6 for 7 from the field with a game-high 13 points—and Elle LaFeir (12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)—who dominated on the boards with a game-high 12 rebounds.
But the Briar Woods defense proved to be too much for Independence, forcing 24 total turnovers and capitalizing on 8 of those opportunities.
“I’m really proud of how we played, especially the defensive side,” Gallagher said. “The defensive energy created offense, and that allowed us to have productivity.”
Led by the 5 steals from junior guard Tanvi Kancharla (5 points, 4 assists, 5 steals) and the 8 rebounds from senior forward Nina Stummer (10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block), the Falcons applied pressure early and didn’t let up, going up 31-13 at the half.
“We had two losses recently, and that was because the other team was more aggressive on defense. So we thought, ‘We’ve gotta be doing the same thing; we’re gonna match that intensity’,” Gallagher said. “We didn’t want to sit back and let other people dictate the tempo. We wanted to force that, and our guards were very aggressive, and that allowed the rest of the team to get steals because we were forcing them to make quick passes. So that really was our strategy, and it worked tonight. We hope it works again.”
Carter opened the third quarter with a couple baskets to cut the deficit to 14, but Briar Woods went on an 11-1 run for the rest of the quarter, forcing 9 turnovers and squashing any momentum Independence was looking to gain.
“The girls have been very receptive and a great group because of their attitude and the leadership within the team. The captains have all been great leaders, and none of them are seniors. This really is a player-led team,” Gallagher said. “For me it was great coming in because we meshed early, we had some success early, so it gave us confidence. And then that confidence has carried forth into the season. And although there have been a couple off games, I’m really happy with their progress. They’re a good group.”
Stummer came alive on offense at the end of the third and into the fourth, scoring 9 of her 10 points in the second half. Although Independence senior guard Kate Kolenbrander (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) contributed to her team’s effort with a few points in the fourth, it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, as Briar Woods closed out the game on an 8-2 run for the 58-27 victory.
“The girls did a great job tonight,” Gallagher said. “I’m very lucky to coach this group because they have great energy, great attitudes, and they work really hard in practice everyday.”
With the win, Briar Woods (3-2, 9-7) moves into a 3-way tie for second place in the Potomac District. But with the back half of the district schedule still to come, anything is possible. The Falcons will look to continue their momentum when they travel to Riverside on January 30. Independence (0-5, 5-12) will be back in action on the same night when they host Potomac Falls.
“This is a really good league as far as competitiveness goes. Every game, every team is coming in with a game plan. We all have film on the network to watch, so everyone is prepared for whatever you do,” Gallagher said. “So it’s very important in execution, very important in defensive intensity, and at this point every possession matters in every game. The second half of the season is gonna be that: just play through the lulls, handle the other team’s runs, stay confident in what we do, and do what we do best.”
Katey Jackson captured 200+ photos at the game!
Briar Woods Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Brianna Zaher | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Nina Stummer | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2-for-4 |
| Sadie Auch | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Nina Keltz | 10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Tanvi Kancharla | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Tanisha Srinivas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Rianna D’Souza | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Rishithasree Poshala | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Isadora Gleaves | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Maura Polaski | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 58 | 28 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 4-for-8 |
Independence Stats
| Player Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Landyn Carter | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-for-2 |
| Kate Kolenbrander | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Katie Hempstead | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Brianna Thweatt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1-for-6 |
| Meghan Kolenbrander | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Elle LaFeir | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Gabriella Mathew | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Saanvi Balne | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Bella Tesfai | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Sasha Rahe | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Apoorva Popuri | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Samantha Sherry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Olivia Medina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 27 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4-for-14 |