Girls Basketball: SB Free Throw Practice Pays Off in Win Over BR; Valley Survives Scare vs. Dominion

Stone Bridge Coach Chris Jones and Senior Sara Stancik Postgame

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor
Ashburn (Dec. 29, 2009) - With the extended layoff from the snowstorm -- eight straight days off -- and a struggle at the foul line early in the season, Stone Bridge High School girls basketball coach Chris Jones decided his team needed some serious free throw practice Monday morning and each Bulldog took 100 foul shots. The practice paid off Monday night as Stone Bridge went 7 of 8 from the line down the stretch to ice a 46-35 victory over Broad Run in the Leesburg Honda Holiday Basketball Tournament at Stone Bridge High School.

It was the second victory this season for the Bulldogs (5-1) over neighbor Broad Run (4-3). In the opening game of the tournament, Loudoun Valley (3-2) survived a scare against winless Dominion (0-8) as the Titans led with less than a minute to go before Viking junior Jamie Gutch put LV ahead, 47-46. Christina Blue made a free throw in the closing seconds for the 48-46 LV win.

Kayla Sweet led LV with 14 while Gutch and Stephanie Purnell each scored 12. Imani Smith led the Titans with 14 points. The Vikes, missing one starter and the first two subs off the bench, struggled at the line, going 4 of 15.

Titan coach Anne Gasser was impressed by her team's offensive output after they have scored in the 20s most of the season but said the team wasn't used to being in the position of protecting a late lead.

Stone Bridge senior Sara Stancik had her third consecutive double-double as she hauled in at least 10 rebounds and scored a game-high 16 points. Morgan Roehling led BR with 12 points and Sarah Miller (11 rebounds) and Maggie Andricosky (10 rebounds) were big on the boards for the Spartans.

Click here for a full box from the Bulldog-Spartans game.

Loudoun Valley 48, Dominion 46
D: Smith 14, Gasser 8, Kucheruck 7, Anshu 5, Thomas 4, Delcambre 2, Landry 2, Peterson 2, Reynolds 2. 19 5-11 46.
LV: Sweet 14, Gutch 12, Purnell 12, Oden 7, Blue 3. Totals 22 4-15 48.

Loudoun Valley Coach Jen Piccolomini Postgame