Girls Basketball: Loudoun County Takes Control of Dulles District Race with 55-40 Win Over Freedom

Loudoun County junior Alex Lapple and freshman Maggie Phillips


By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun Editor

Leesburg (Jan. 25, 2011) - The head coaches were both new, the crowd a little less packed than usual and the play a bit sloppy with 44 combined turnovers but as usual when the Freedom and Loudoun County girls basketball teams meet, the winner came away in the driver's seat to the Dulles District title, and it was the Raiders with a surprisingly one-sided 55-40 win over the two-time defending state champion Eagles.

Loudoun County (10-1 in district, 13-4 overall) avenged an equally-lopsided loss to Freedom (9-2, 11-6), 52-33, back on Dec. 14, and it was the Raiders first win this season against a team more than one game over .500.

Casey Cummings with the block
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photo by Gary Sousa

"I think they caught us on a bad night back in December and we may have caught them on a bad night tonight," said Loudoun County first-year coach Derek Fisher after his biggest win since taking over for Kevin Reed, who departed for Sherando after last season.

While Freedom was keeping a close eye on Raider senior Brittany Batts, the school's all-time scoring leader, County was able to get production from junior Alex Lapple, who slashed her way to the basket and ran the floor well on the way to 16 points, and freshman Maggie Phillips, who scored just seven points but they all came in the second quarter as the Raiders fought back from an 18-13 deficit to take a 22-20 lead that they would never relinquish.

Batts, held to two points in the first half, came to life in the third quarter as the Raiders went on a 11-2 run to open and she finished with a game-high 17 points. Raider junior Casey Cummings scored six points and had a huge rebounding night with 18 total, many on the offensive end. Raider junior Erica Linnemann, part of County's incredibly-conditioned guard corps, scored seven points.

Freedom, led by first-year coach Joe Crawford, who stepped up from assistant to take over for Jason Eldredge, who exited after two straight state titles and is now the head coach of the West Springfield boys, could not get into the offensive flow of the game and the Eagles had 25 total turnovers, six more than the Raiders.

In this rivalry it is always a battle inside

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photo by Gary Sousa

County closed down Freedom senior Dionna Scott, the area's top scoring averaging more than 20 points a game, as she had just didn't score until midway through the third and fouled out with a season-low five points.

The Eagles younger players accounted for most of the offensive production as sophomore Alicia Klinko worked inside for a season-high 11 points and freshman Arnelle Collins came off the bench to provide a spark and finish with 10 points, tying her season-high. Freedom senior Alexis Mayo scored nine points but two of her three field goals came in the final minute of play.

A low-scoring first quarter saw County take an 8-7 lead after Batts pulled up and hit a transition jumper with 3.6 seconds left on the clock.

The Eagles scored five straight to take an 18-13 lead midway through the second quarter as Alexis Jones dropped a 3-pointer and Collins hit a transition basket. County fought back with Phillips showing a great first step on a drive to the basket and then she shook free again and complete a three-point play from the foul line.

With 29 seconds to go in the half, Phillips converted a great feed from Cummings to give the Raiders a 22-20 lead going into the break.

The Eagles came out ice cold to start the third quarter as they missed seven straight and committed three more turnovers. The Raiders built their lead with Batts following her own shot and then sinking a deep 3-pointer. Lapple's nifty fastbreak layin made it 31-20 County with 3:45 left in the third.

Collins swiftly drove to the basket to break the run but Freedom could only play County even the rest of the quarter and trailed, 37-27, going into the final eight minutes.

After two offensive rebounds by Cummings game the Raiders a third shot to start the fourth quarter, the Raiders responded with a well-executed inbounds play that led to a Lapple 3-pointer. Moments later Batts scored off of another Eagle turnover and it was 42-27 Raiders with 6:50 left.

The Raiders were good enough at the foul line, making seven of eight at one point, to prevent the Eagles from climbing back in the contest. Cummings gave the home fans something to roar about as she had a big block with three minutes to go and after Batts sank four straight foul shots, it was 53-32 County.

Loudoun County 55, Freedom 40
F 7 13 7 13 - 40
LC 8 14 15 18 - 55
F (9-2, 11-6): Klinko 11, Collins 10, Mayo 9, Jones 5, Scott 5.
LC (10-1, 13-4): Batts 17, Lapple 16, Phillips 7, Linnemann 7, Cummings 6, Knudsen 2.
3-Pointers: Freedom 2 (Jones 1, Scott 1), LC 3 (Batts 1, Lapple 1, Linnemann 1).