Boys Basketball: Loudoun Valley Snares Another Victim in Defensive Web as Vikes Improve to 11-1 in Dulles, 16-2 Overall with Win Before Packed House at Woodgrove

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun Editor
Purcellville (Jan. 26, 2012) - Playing the 2011-12 Loudoun Valley High School boys basketball team is like taking on the cast of the Spider-Man Broadway musical. In their tireless zone defense they seem to be soaring everywhere, spinning their defensive webs, only this group doesn't need wires to do their work, they just rely on height, wingspan and athleticism.

Putting a unit at times on the floor with four players 6-foot-3 or taller, and three 6-5 or taller, Loudoun Valley (11-1 Dulles District, 16-2 overall) nearly doubled Woodgrove in rebounding Wednesday and held rival Woodgrove (6-6, 9-9) to just two points in the final quarter and scoreless in the final six minutes-plus in a 50-37 win before a packed house of 1,600+ fans.


Woodgrove, looking to avoid a season sweep against their western Loudoun neighbor, trailed for the first three quarters but the Wolverines took their first, and only, lead of the night early in the fourth quarter, 37-36. That would be it for Woodgrove offensively as Loudoun Valley finished the game on a 14-0 run that at times must have felt like to Woodgrove fans a forced march.

Columbia-bound senior Brad Gilson led all scorer's with 17 for Woodgrove but that was more than 10 points below his season scoring average and he managed just four after halftime. Nobody else for Woodgrove broke double digits against the Vikes energetic defense which allows an area-best 45.7 points per game.

Loudoun Valley was led by senior John Yoxthimer, who scored 14 despite a slow start offensively and then foul trouble late. Yoxthimer was on the bench with four fouls when Woodgrove went ahead but was quickly shedding his warm-ups and hustled back into the contest to lead the comeback. Yoxthimer, junior Josh Grimard (13 points) and junior Javon Miller (11 points) were all active on the boards, as Valley had times had two, three or four looks and got several tip-ins.

Woodgrove coach Steve Douglas, playing without senior forward Matt Caslin out after gallbladder surgery, said there wasn't much his team good do at times as they often had good position but with three starters at 6-1 or shorter the Wolverines were just starting too close to the earth.

The final rebounding edge, as tabulated by Washington Post's Matt "I Bleed Tarheel Blue" Brooks, was 30-16 Valley.

Woodgrove then fell to Briar Woods (9-1, 13-2) on Thursday night, 47-36. Briar Woods hosts Loudoun Valley next Tuesday in a game that will be broadcast in delay by Verizon FiOS1 but before that showdown can take place the Vikings host Potomac Falls (8-3, 11-5) on Saturday and the Falcons travel to Park View (5-6, 7-10)


LV 15 12 9 14 - 50
WG 11 11 13 2 - 37
LV: Yoxthimer 4 5-5 14, Grimard 6 0-1 13, Miller 4 3-6 11, Kiani 1 2-2 5, Rowley 2 1-1 5, Robinson 1 0-2 2. Totals 18 11-17 50.
WG: Gilson 6 2-2 17, Traub 4 0-0 9, Danielson 2 0-0 6, Wells 0 3-4, 3, Welsh 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 5-8 37.