By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manger, Washington D.C. Area
*Click the Photo and Video links above for multimedia from all Saturday’s games.
Yorktown 45, C.D. Hylton 33
*CLICK HERE for videos from this game only.
*CLICK HERE for photos from this game only.
Yorktown crouched around Coach Kim Cordell in the huddle. The team trailed C.D. Hylton by two points after the third quarter, and Cordell stressed heightened pressure, hoping the team’s defense would limit Bulldog baskets.
There is no way she could have anticipated how seriously the Patriots would heed that advice.
Yorktown held Hylton scoreless for all but :22 seconds of the fourth quarter, pulling away for a 45-33, opening-round win at the Pohanka Chantilly Classic Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Only a three-pointer from Bulldog freshman Tamara Majette prevented a Patriot shutout in the final period.
“That’s one thing I think is our strongest suit, the defensive that we have,” Cordell said. “When the girls put their mind to it and we all work together, we have the mindset that nothing is going to get passed us.”
Added sophomore Lena Negri: “We were pretty slow in the beginning, but we hustled — and brought back the win — at the end.”
The only thing more noticeable than Yorktown’s seamless transition from stopping the Bulldog motion offense to the fluid Patriot fast break was Negri at the heart of it.
The athletic sophomore scored eight points in the final period and was a defensive
Negri finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, nine steals, one steal shy of a triple-double. She added three blocks and three assists.
“She’s like a gazelle,” Cordell said of Negri. “It’s awesome to have a player like that, who’s so versatile. We can use her at the offensive and defensive end.
“She’s trying to dunk. And she totally can.”
Yorktown 8 9 11 17 — 45
C.D. Hylton 8 12 10 3 — 33
Yorktown — Charity 7 1-1 15; Rennert 4 7-8 15; Negri 5 2-10 12; Manger 1 0-0
3. Team totals: 17
10-19 45. C.D. Hylton — T. Heslip 6 2-2 14; Majette 3 0-0 7; Nguetta 3 1-3 7; S. Heslip 1 1-2 3; Boyd 1 0-0 2; Oliver 0 0-1 0. Team totals: 14 4-7 33. Three pointers — Yorktown 1 (Manger); C.D. Hylton 1 (Majette).
West Springfield 74, Bishop Ireton 31
*CLICK HERE for videos from this game only.
*CLICK HERE for photos from this game only.
Against uncommon opponents, it is always beneficial to grab the early lead.
The Spartans took that to heart on Saturday morning.
West Springfield jumped to a 13-point lead by the end of the first quarter on its way to a 74-31 win over Bishop Ireton, from the WCAC.
The win avenges the Spartans only loss of the season, which came to undefeated, WCAC-favorite Good Counsel, 56-50 on December 6.
“This builds our confidence more,” said senior Sam Landers, who scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the opening period. “And [it] builds on what we already had. We started with a good foundation and now we’re just building off that.
“Our team really came together. We passed really well, we finished well, so it was really a team effort.”
Among the most recognizable — and frequent — passers and finishers was Spartan freshman April Robinson.
Robinson’s 16 points were second only to Landers, but her role distributor was even more influential. Robinson recorded five of her game-high nine assists during a three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
She even had six steals and hit four three-pointers.
“If I start making my shot, it just keeps going,” Robinson said. “But I get great passes from my teammates, which helps me hit open shots.”
West Springfield (7-1) is the second highest-scoring team in the Northern Region at 64.1 points per game. Its recent string of decisive victories only supports its region-wide, preseason nomination as a favorite to reach the state tournament.
Landers has watched this program rise gradually over the last three seasons from perpetual Patriot bridesmaid to immediate front-runner.
“It was fun seeing it grow and I liked being a part of it,” said Landers, who outscored the Cardinals by herself, 10-8, in the first quarter. “Having new, younger players come in, that’s the best part. You get to teach them and you learn from them and they learn from you.
“The whole mix of types of people we have on the team is coming together and working well together.”
Bishop Ireton 8 7 11 5 — 31
West Springfield 21 14 20 19 — 74
Bishop Ireton
— Baldwin 6 0-0 12; Robinson 2 1-2 5; Ale. Thurmond 2 0-2 4; Ala. Thurmond 1 2-2 4; Downie 1 0-0 2; Habib 1 0-0 2; Daguilh 0 2-6 2. Team totals: 13 5-12 31. West Springfield — Landers 9 0-0 18; Robinson 6 0-0 16; Sham 4 0-0 11; Miller 3 2-2 8; Todd 2 3-4 7; Turay 2 0-0 4; Battle 2 0-2 4; Gaston 1 0-1 2; Brassfield 0 2-2 2; Evans 0 2-4 2. Team totals: 29 9-15 74. Three pointers — Bishop Ireton 0; West Springfield 7 (Robinson 4, Pham 3).
South County 68, Falls Church 62
*CLICK HERE for videos from this game only.
*CLICK HERE for photos from this game only.
As part of a popular 1980s Nike campaign, a character named Mars, played by Spike Lee, coined, “Money, it’s gotta be the shoes.”
The line linked Michael Jordan‘s hardwood success to his Air Jordan basketball shoes.
Twenty years later, Stallion nation is taking a more affordable step closer to the skin.
And, Money, it’s gotta be socks.
South County, who entered its Pohanka Chantilly Basketball Tournament against Falls Church without a win through seven games, revitalized a short-lived tradition of wearing colorful, un-matching high socks on holidays.
And the Stallions got what seemed an inevitable first victory of the season, 68-62, over the Jaguars on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s just tradition,” said junior Gabe Jackson, who sported baby blue socks with snowmen and a stretched-out Santa head. “We started it a while ago. We have to keep it going because it’s good luck in the tournaments and … on Valentine’s Day and Christmas.”
Likely more important than creative, colorful cotton, was timely contributions from Jackson and fellow junior Antonio Butler.
After Falls Church jumped to a seven-point lead late in the first quarter, the Stallion offense focused on Jackson, who scored nine of his 14 points in the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Then, when the Jaguars rallied to cut the Stallion lead to two points at the end of the third quarter, Butler got the call.
The 6-feet-3-inch swingman scored 16 of his game-high 20 points after halftime.
“The second half is usually my half,” said Butler, who shot an efficient 7-for-12 from the field. “I started the game with kind of a slow start in the first half. But, in the second half, I tried to make sure my team had a chance to win the game.”
Added Jackson, who shot 4-for-6 from the floor: “They give me the ball when I’m feeling it, so I can hit the shots and help out the team.”
The Stallions need that balanced contribution not only for the duration of the Pohanka Tournament, but once Patriot District play resumes in early January.
That, or they can broaden their sock-wearing holidays.
For South County’s trip to Annandale January 6, they should wear colorful cotton to pay homage to National Cuddle Day. And when defending state champion T.C. Williams visits January 13, put the sock theory to the test on International Skeptics Day.
It couldn’t hurt.
Falls Church 20 13 15 14 — 62
South County 15 18 17 19 — 68
Falls Church — Jones 8 0-0 17; Gerima 6 3-4 17; Hansen 3 4-4 10; Medlej 3 2-2 10; Gotcher 1 0-0 3; Alamin 0 3-6 2; Eusebio 1 0-0 2. Team totals: 22
12-16 62. South County — Butler 7 6-9 20; Jackson 4 4-6 14; Colbourn 4 2-2 10; Rector 2 2-4 7; Gonzalez 1 2-2 4; Townsend 1 2-2 4; Duckett 1 0-0 2; Lanigan 1 0-0 2; McDaniels 1 0-0 2; Van **** 1 0-0 2; Watkins 0 1-2 1. Team totals: 23 19-27 68. Three pointers — Falls Church 6 (Gerima 2; Medlej 2; Gotcher, Jones); South County 3 (Jackson 2, Rector).
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Processing your request, Please wait....
