Girls Basketball: Top Two Area Teams Clash Tonight in Leesburg

Leesburg (Jan. 22, 2010) - Two programs that have done but win the past couple of seasons will meet tonight at 7:45 p.m. as Loudoun County hosts Freedom in a key AA Dulles District girls basketball contest.

A win would put Freedom on the path to a second straight regular season title and the Raiders can tie the Eagles if they defend their home court. Both teams won VHSL state titles last year -- Freedom in Division 3 and Loudoun County in Division 4. This year only one can win a state title as they both compete in Division 4.

The boys/girls doubleheader starts with the boys at 6 p.m. The girls game will be televised by Verizon FiOS1. Both games will be aired on the Internet by the Loudoun County High School Athletic Booster Club (www.lchsabc.org)

The Skinny on Tonight's Girls Game

When: Fri. Jan. 22, 2009
Where: Loudoun County High School (Leesburg)
Time: Girls tip off after boys game which starts at 6 p.m., apx. 7:45

Records: Freedom (11-3, 7-0 in Dulles District), Loudoun County (11-2, 6-1 in Dulles District)

Last year: Loudoun County 25-5 and Division 4 state champion
Last year: Freedom 28-2 and Division 3 state champion

On Dec. 15: Free 54, LC 47 - Eagles have won five straight meetings!

All time series (LC leads 7-6 but Freedom has won 5 straight)
Dec. 13, 2005 - LC 90, Free 11
Jan. 27, 2006 - LC 75, Free 5
Dec. 18, 2006 - LC 73, Free 40
Jan. 27, 2007 - LC 47, Free 45
Dec. 1, 2007 - LC 47, Free 42
Jan. 14, 2008 - LC 56, Free 50
Feb. 16, 2008 - Free 70, LC 66
Feb. 23, 2008 - LC 48, Free 47 (district title game, Alissa Kain buzzer beater)
Dec. 6, 2008 - Free 73, LC 49
Jan. 12, 2009 - Free 58, LC 41
Feb. 10, 2009 - Free 49, LC 42
Feb. 21, 2009 - Free 61, LC 57 (district title game)
Dec. 15, 2009 - Free 54, LC 47

Starters
Freedom
No. Player Yr Hgt Stats
10 Jessica Escorza (SR) 5-11 8.5 ppg, 5.9 apg,
13 Kelsey Buchanan (SR) 6-3 16.3 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 4.8 bpg
14 Dionna Scott (JR) 5-11 16.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 spg
20 Kim Koditek (JR) 5-5 3.4 ppg
22 Alexis Mayo (SO) 5-7 3.4 ppg

Loudoun County
No. Player Yr Hgt Stats
3 Kendra Holmes (SR) 5-9 - 13.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.8 apg
12 Jenna Strange (SO) 5-11 - 6.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 spg
21 Alissa Kain (SR) 5-9 - 14.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.8 apg
22 Erica Linnemann (SO) - 5-5 5.8 ppg
24 Brittany Batts (JR) - 5-7 19.3 ppg, 2.8 spg

3 Keys to LC Winning
Loudoun County Coach Kevin Reed
1) Defensive Rebounding
2) Value Every Possession - Offensive and Defensive
3) Multiple Empty Possessions - We can't have them!

3 Keys to Freedom Winning
Freedom Coach Jason Eldredge
1) Win turnover battle (create! Not give up ... Had 39 vs. Riverdale Baptist on Tuesday!)
2) Keep composure (keep heads on straight, both teams will make runs)
3) Rebounding

The Two Schools:
Old School (Loudoun County is Loudoun's oldest, opened in 1954, when all the old small high schools in the county were closed and combined into one "modern" school) vs. New School (Freedom along with Briar Woods opened in 2005, the last schools opened in county)

**No Loudoun basketball teams had ever won a state title in history ... Until both schools did last season ... Freedom in Division 3 and Loudoun County in Division 4 ... They both play Division 4 this season.

The Coaches
Loudoun County coach Kevin Reed is 149-48 in 8 seasons including 104-21 in the last 5 seasons Freedom coach Jason Elredge is 76-42 in 5 seasons including 60-12 in the last 3 seasons

Freedom and LC
Last 5 Years Side-by-Side
Year --- Free -- LC
05-06 1-21 29-2
06-07 15-9 16-8
07-08 20-7 22-4
08-09 28-2 25-5
09-10 12-3 12-2

College Bound
Freedom's Kelsey Buchanan and Jessica Escorza have college scholarships ... Buchanan to Delaware and Escorza to Wofford