Girls Basketball: Freedom Clinches Dulles District Top Seed with 76-60 Playoff Win Over Loudoun County

Freedom's Kesley Buchanan and Jessica Escorza Postgame!

Sterling (Feb. 17, 2010) - Each of the three girls basketball contests this season between respective defending VHSL state champions, Freedom and Loudoun County, have played out to a different script.

In December it was defending Division 3 champion Freedom, moving up to Division 4 this season, falling behind early to defending Division 4 champ LC, and despite point guard Jessica Escorza going out with an injury, the Eagles took over at the end of the first quarter and controlled things the rest of the way for a 57-52 win in South Riding.

In January it was Loudoun County falling behind big in the first half, but with Freedom in foul trouble, a hot-shooting Raider team rallied behind the support of their home fans in Leesburg for a 57-40 win.

On Monday, on a neutral court at Park View High School for a one-game Dulles District playoff game, it was Loudoun County missing a key starter -- sophomore Jenna Strange, out sick -- falling behind big again, 40-21, in the second half before another second half rally. The Raiders came all the way back to lead for the first and only time in the contest, 55-54, on a Kendra Holmes layin with 5:10 to go but County, much like Freedom in the previous game, was in foul trouble and the Raider comeback ran out of gas as the Eagles cemented a 76-60 at the foul line by making 22 of 33 in the contest including 11 of 16 in the final quarter. The Raiders finished 12 of 23 from the line for a 20-point difference.

Kelsey Buchanan, who later that day would be named the Dulles District Player of the Year for Division 4, registered a double-double in the win with a game-high 24 points and game-high 15 rebounds. Unlike the loss in Leesburg, the Eagles showed good scoring balance with three others in double digits including Escorza (15), Dionna Scott (14) and Alexis Mayo (10).

After Escorza made a nice feed to Buchanan to put Freedom up 56-55 with 4:56 to go, Mayo changed the complexion of the game with back-to-back steals. She made a free throw and Buchanan had a true tip-in to put Freedom up 59-55 with 4:13. When Scott ran the fast break and turned a layin into an "And One" it was 62-55 and the Raiders struggled to make field goals, finishing with just one in the final five minutes of the contest.

Holmes, who fouled out with 52 seconds left, finished with her own double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brittany Batts scored 17 for LC and Alissa Kain added 12. Casey Cummings, making the start in place of Strange, had 14 rebounds for the Raiders.

Freedom (15-4) earned the district's top seed and a bye in tonight's tournament quarterfinal action while LC (15-3) takes the No. 2 seed and will host Briar Woods tonight at 7 p.m. The two teams could meet again Saturday in the district finals and it appears that they will be placed on the same side of the bracket for regionals so a possible fifth and final meeting would come in the Region II tournament with only one team able to defend its state crown.

Before teams are district co-champs and will raise banners after the season.

Full box from the game!