Girls Basketball: A Beautiful Run to Come to An End Saturday for Freedom Girls

(Mar. 12, 2010) - During a stretch of Tuesday's VHSL Division 4 girls state semifinal, during which both his high-flying Freedom High School squad and opponent Turner Ashby went scoreless for more than five minutes, Eagles coach Jason Eldredge had one word in mind: Ugly.

And while the aesthetics may have been lacking in Freedom's defensive, 44-27, win over the Knights, there can be no denying that the Eagles (20-5) are about to finish up a beautiful 4-year run when they take the court at VCU's Siegel Center Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the state title game against Spotswood.

Freedom seniors Kelsey Buchanan (22 points, 19 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Jessica Escorza (7 points, 4 assists) are about to finish what they started four years ago when as freshmen they upset then district power Broad Run at home. It was -- at that time -- the school's biggest win ever but there was much more to come.

The next year, with Escorza moving to a private school, the Eagles went toe-to-toe with Loudoun County only to lose on a buzzer beater in the Dulles District finals and then lose at the buzzer in the playoffs at Brentsville.

Last year, Freedom was ready and the 6-foot-3 Buchanan led the Eagles to a Division 3 state title -- the first state title in basketball in Loudoun history for any school and that number was doubled when County took the Divisiion 4 title hours later.

Now with the 6-foot point guard Escorza back for her senior year in South Riding, and 6-foot senior forward Jasmine Merritt transferring in from out of state, the Eagles are poised to win back-to-back state titles and put themselves among the elites of teams in Loudoun history in any sport, let alone basketball.

It starts with Buchanan, who had all 10 of Freedom's first quarter points Tuesday as the Eagles offense sputtered at times, but it includes a group that is playing with the confidence of a state title on their resumes including junior Dionna Scott, sophomore Alexis Mayo, and junior Kim Koditek. Senior Brittani Poindexter and sophomore Kendall Schneider also contributed minutes off the bench.

The Eagles with Mayo and Escorza taking some turns and the rest of the team keeping a close eye, held James Madison-bound Kirby Burkholder to just six points and 12 rebounds on 3 of 15 shooting in what would be her final prep game.

With Freedom's tall front line guarding the rim, the Knights settled for outside shots and went 3 of 13 from 3-point range including 1 of 7 in the second half.

The game was tight in the first quarter with a 10-10 score heading into the second.

Burkholder put the Knights up, 12-10, with 6:45 left in the first half but Freedom answered right back with Escorza hitting a rare 3-pointer off a pass from Buchanan. The Eagles would not give up that lead. Buchanan stretched the lead to 15-12 on a lay-up moments later and then the two teams went cold from the field, stymied in part by good zone defenses and neither team would score during the final 5:47 of the first half save for an Escorza jumper with 58 seconds left that gave Freedom a 17-12 edge heading into the locker room.

Burkholder's younger sister, Cassidy (team-high 10 points), scored in the first minute of the second half and then neither team could score again for a good five minutes until Jasmine Merritt scored on a short jumper to make it, 19-14, Eagles with 1:56 to go in the third quarter.

Aliesse Delamore scored for TA and Buchanan was fouled inside and make 1 of 2 from the line. When Erica Estes buried a 3-pointer for the Knights it was just a one-point game, 20-19 Freedom, with 58 seconds left in the third.

Freedom then finished strong with Dionna Scott making a slicing move to the basket with 39 seconds left and when TA missed inside, Merritt grabbed the rebound and fed Escorza with seven seconds left and the senior calmly hit a shot at the buzzer to make it 24-19 Freedom.

Kirby Burkholder cut the lead to three points on a layin with 6:48 to play but Freedom went on a 13-0 run to put the game away. It was a team effort during the run which was started by a basket by Koditek and including Scott scoring, and Buchanan scoring and getting to the foul line for eight of her 22 points.

It was a Buchanan "And One" 3-point play with 2:48 to go that gave Freedom a 35-21 lead and put the game out of reach.