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By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun Editor
Leesburg (Jan. 8, 2012) – The Loudoun County High School girls basketball team, led by senior Erica Linnemann’s 22 points and record-tying 14 made free throws, led from start to finish Friday night in a 58-39 win over Woodgrove in a match-up of unbeaten Dulles District squads.
Loudoun County (9-5 overall, 8-0 district) came into the contest just three games over .500 but the AA Raiders rugged non-district schedule included losses to AAA schools Oakton, Robinson, Lake Braddock and Annandale, as well as a loss to reigning A state champion George Mason.
“We played some hard teams in the Christmas tournament and it was tough,” said Linnemann.
Woodgrove (10-2, 7-1) came into the contest with just one loss, to AAA Stone Bridge, but the Wolverines had some jitters early, committing turnovers on their first three possessions, and the defending Division 4 state runner-up Raiders ran out to a 9-0 lead.
“We had a lot of unforced turnovers tonight,” said Woodgrove coach Kevin Copley. “They are a good team. I think the two best teams in the district played tonight.”
The Raiders needed those turnovers as they faced an aggressive Wolverine zone defense.
“Turnovers fuel your offense when you are struggling against the zone,” said Loudoun County coach Derek Fisher.
Loudoun County’s size inside – with essentially two senior centers in 6-foot-2 Casey Cummings and 6-1 Katrina Kirby along with the athletic 5-10 sophomore Maggie Phillips – gave the Wolverines fits as the trio combined for 25 points and 21 rebounds.
“It is a collective effort. For example, Casey can rebound because Katrina is boxing out. It is all three of them working together,” said Fisher.
Phillips, with some easy transition baskets had 12, and Kirby, with an ability to post-up, had 11, while Cummings clean up on the boards with 13 rebounds.
“Our height is a big advantage for us,” said Cummings who was humble about her rebounding effort. “The ball was just bouncing my way tonight.”
Senior guard Alex Lapple hit two 3-pointers and finished with eight for the Raiders. As a team, Loudoun County was just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc while shooting a sizzling 12 of 25 on two-point field goal attempts.
Woodgrove, behind the play of juniors Sarah Hardison (10 points) and Brittany Basinger (9 points) battled back and trimmed the lead to just a point, at 10-9 with 6:18 left in the first half, but Linnemann, able to break down Woodgrove’s 1-2-2 zone defense with dribble penetration, made a free throw on the other end and when she missed the second, Cummings grabbed the rebound and put it back in.
Cumming’s hustle kick-started an 8-0 run, capped by a Linnemann deep 3-point show, that left the Raiders up 21-11. Later two more Linnemann free throws put the Raiders up 25-13 with 41 seconds left in the first half. For the game, Linnemann tied her own school record by making 14 of 18 attempts.
Hardison’s buzzer beater from just inside half court made it 25-16 at the half and looked to give the Wolverines some life but foul troubles hurt Woodgrove in the second half.
Loudoun County held Woodgrove without a field goal in the first five minutes of the third quarter and Hardison had to sit after picking up her third foul on a questionable charge call with 5:36 left and then she earned a fourth foul on a technical after slamming the ball in frustration. Hardison returned several minutes into the fourth quarter to provide a spark with a nice transition layin, but seconds later she was whistled for her fifth foul on a reach call.
By the time the third quarter was over, Loudoun County led comfortably 46-24 and the Wolverines were forced to go full court man-to-man defense in the final quarter in hopes of a comeback. Woodgrove’s tactics paid off as they forced eight Raider turnovers in the final quarter – both teams committed 21 turnovers in the game which was sloppy at times – but the closest they could cut the lead was to 12 at 52-39 with 1:52 remaining.
“We never quit. I like how we clawed and we scrapped,” said Copley.
Loudoun County then iced the game at the line as Lapple and Linnemann each hit a pair of free throws as the Wolverines were forced to foul. The Raiders had a big advantage at the foul line, going 22 of 27 while the Wolverines were just 8 of 16.
The game had to be stopped twice in the final quarter as Woodgrove fans became increasingly frustrated with the officiating, especially after a high elbow from a Raider player -- which didn’t draw contact but nevertheless was by rule a violation -- wasn’t called during a trap in the full court press.
The first stoppage of play came at the officiating crews request as they summoned Loudoun County athletic administrators to the visitor stands. Play resumed only to be stopped a minute later as several Woodgrove adult fans were escorted from the building.
The two schools will conclude the regular season with Division 4 Loudoun County visiting Division 3 Woodgrove on Feb. 10. The two schools are hoping for a repeat of 2009 when a charged rivalry between Freedom and Loudoun County led to state titles for both schools.
“We are grateful to have Woodgrove in our district,” said Linnemann.
Loudoun County 58, Woodgrove 38
WG – 7 9 8 15 – 39
LC - 10 15 21 12 - 58
WG: Brittany Basinger 4 1-4 9, Hardison 3 3-4 10, Lynch 2 1-2 6, Purnell 2 1-2 5, Hornya 1 0-0 3, Fagan 0 1-2 1, Brooke Basinger 2 1-2 5. Team 14 8-16 39.
LC: Lapple 2 2-2 8, Linnemann 3 14-18 22, Phillips 5 2-2 12, Kirby 5 1-1 11 Cummings 1 0-0 2, Maxey 0 3-4 3. Team 16 22-27 58.
Turnovers by Quarter
WG 6 7 5 3 – 21
LC 1 4 8 8 - 21
Rebounds by Quarter
WG 12 12 3 12 – 39
LC 8 12 13 10 – 43
WG 39 rebounds (Purnell 10, Brittany Basinger 4, Hardison 4, Buxton 4, Lynch 3, Fagan 3, Brooke Basinger 2, TEAM 9)
LC 43 (Cummings 14, Linnemann 6, Phillips 6, Maxey 4, Kirby 2, Vasquez 2, Lapple 1, Knox 1, Kushner 1, TEAM 7).
3-Pointers
WG 3 (Hardison, Lynch, Hornyak)
LC 4 (Lapple 2, Linnemann 2)
Shooting
WG 14 of 59 23.7% (3 of 14 from 3-point 21.4%)
LC 16 of 45 35.6% (4 of 20 from 3-point 20.0%)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
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The game had to be stopped twice in the final quarter as Woodgrove fans became increasingly frustrated with the officiating, especially after a high elbow from a Raider player -- which didn’t draw contact but nevertheless was by rule a foul -- wasn’t called during a trap in the full court press
ReplyDeleteFYI - NFHS Rule 9-13-1, excessive swinging of the arms and elbows is not permitted but is not a foul but a violation and the ball is awarded to the offended team.
Thanks for the rule clarification ... if an elbow connects would it then be consider a regular foul or a flagrant foul or would that be a judgement call? 30 years of covering hoops and I'm still learning!
ReplyDelete