Boys Basketball: Briar Woods Survives Double OT Thriller at Potomac Falls, 77-75

By Alanna Dvorak
Special to VivaLoudoun

Sterling (Jan. 26, 2012) - After three long basketball seasons and for the just the second time in school history the Briar Woods High School boys finally conquered Goliath ... aka back-to-back VHSL Division 4 state champion Potomac Falls ... but just barely as the Falcons escaped the Panther Pit Wednesday with a 77-75 double overtime victory.

“It feels really great,” Briar Woods head coach Mike Benson. “We’ve worked hard to get where we are. There are a lot of seniors and juniors who have been working with this program for years.”

The last time -- and only time in 16 all-time meetings -- that Briar Woods beat Potomac Falls was in the final regular season contest of the 2008-09 season. A young Panthers team finished that season with four straight losses but the program lost just three times over the next two years -- ending Briar Woods season in the playoffs each time -- as they brought home the first ever boys basketball state titles to Loudoun.

On Wednesday it was the more experienced Falcons (8-1 district, 12-2 overall) coming in as the slight favorite with just one district loss while Potomac Falls (8-3, 11-5) looked to move even with Briar Woods in the district loss column.


The Falcons began the game in a fury, quickly taking the lead and not relenting for three quarters, despite losing big man Matt Rolin to foul trouble midway through the first.

“We had to shift our D to adjust,” Benson said. “Luckily we have five people on the court who can score at any given time. We had to use all of our weapons.”

The Falcons took advantage of the Potomac Falls zone defense, sinking three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Briar Woods started the second quarter up 21-16 and continued to pad its lead, concluding the second quarter up 38-29.

But the second half unleashed out a new brand of Panthers.

“We didn’t execute the way we should,” Panther coach Jeff Hawes said of his team’s first half. “The second half was just getting back to our original strategies.”

Senior Gregory Graves led the Panthers surge, scoring nine of the teams 17 points in the third quarter.

By the end of the third quarter, the lead had been cut back down to six, with Briar Woods leading 52-46.

Potomac Falls started the fourth quarter on an 8-point run to take its first lead of the night, 54-52. The teams alternated leads the remainder of the night, including a Rolin dunk over Graves that tied the game at 59-59. Two Panther free throws at the end of regulation tied the game up 64-64 and sent things into overtime.

The teams once again alternated leads in the four minute overtime period. However, after Potomac Falls stopped the Falcons offense with 30 seconds left, they seem poised to win the game. After passing the ball for the last shot, a baseline jumper was short. The first tip-in again was short, before senior Matt Galloway finally slung the ball through.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, time had expired.

Now tied 70-70, the teams prepared for another grueling four minute overtime period.

“We look to each other for inspiration,” said junior Yves Kouame on pushing through. Kouame scored 18 points in the game.

In the second overtime, the Falcons earned two critical stops on defense. The first came when the Falcons were up 76-75 and it put sophomore Trace McSorely at the line with ten seconds remaining. McSorely made the second of his two shots. Possession returned to the Panthers, but a blocked D’Shawn Shorts shot all but ended the game.

The Falcons were led in scoring by senior guard Myles Tate with 20 points. junior Jacob Ryan added 16. For the Panthers, Graves led with 28 points, followed by freshman Wanya Allen with 14.

The victory placed Briar Woods atop the Dulles District standings, alongside Loudoun Valley (11-1. 16-2).

“We’re not even looking at the Dulles District title right now,” Benson said.

Benson and the Falcons go to Woodgrove High School Jan. 26 to face the only district team to beat Briar Woods this season -- a game in which Tate sat for unspecified reasons -- while the Panthers travel to Loudoun Valley on Jan. 28 and another chance to climb back into the district title race.

Briar Woods 77, Potomac Falls 75 (2OT)
BW 21 17 14 12 6 7 - 77
PF  16 13  17 18 6 5 - 75
BW: Tate 6 7-7 20, Kouame 6 3-6 18, Jacob 6 4-4 16, Facciane 5 0-0 12, Rolin 4 0-0 8, Ramos 1 0-0 2, McSorley 0 1-2 1. Totals 28 15-19 77.
PF: Graves 9 10-16 28, Allen 7 0-0 14, Galloway 4 3-3 11, Ferbrache 4 0-0 8, Shorts 3 1-2 8, Wilson 1 2-2 4, Scholbe 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 16-23 75.

Briar Woods vs. Potomac Falls: All-Time Series
1/10/06: Potomac Falls 88, Briar Woods 41
2/1/06: Potomac Falls 90, Briar Woods 47
12/19/06: Potomac Falls 73, Briar Woods 42
1/27/07: Potomac Falls 76, Briar Woods 43
2/16/07: Potomac Falls 78, Briar Woods 56 (Dulles District tournament)
1/16/08: Potomac Falls 66, Briar Woods 52
2/15/08: Potomac Falls 70, Briar Woods 43
1/14/09: Potomac Falls 72, Briar Woods 42
2/13/09: Briar Woods 61, Potomac Falls 51
12/15/09: Potomac Falls 65, Briar Woods 55
1/23/10: Potomac Falls 65, Briar Woods 52
2/19/10: Potomac Falls 56, Briar Woods 50 (Dulles District tournament)
1/12/11: Potomac Falls 63, Briar Woods 54
2/11/11: Potomac Falls 76, Briar Woods 61
2/24/11: Potomac Falls 86, Briar Woods 61 (Region II tournament)
1/25/12: Briar Woods 77, Potomac Falls 75 (2OT)