Girls Basketball: Black and Blue Bulldogs into Regional Quarterfinals with 43-30 win over Hayfield

Murielle Tiernan and Cori Prince each had 13 points Monday night for SB


Ashburn (Feb. 22, 2011) - Don't let the Stone Bridge High School girls basketball team's powder blue uniforms or bevy of speedy guards fool you ... this team is 23-3 on the season because of a blue-collar attitude and the Bulldogs had the bruises to show for it after a bruising, 43-30, win over Hayfield in the Northern Region first round.

Sophomore Murielle Tiernan and senior Cori Prince each scored 13 points to lead the Bulldogs that trailed early in the second half, 18-17, before re-establishing a 6-point lead by the end of the third quarter and then gradually pulling away down the stretch. Stone Bridge will host Robinson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Freshman Megan Della-Penna, gaining confidence as the season progresses, put Stone Bridge ahead for good, 19-18, with a pair of free throws with 4:20 to go in the third. Tiernan, working hard on the boards against a strong inside Hawks team, put back a miss to make it 21-18.

Hayfield got back to within a point on a nice drive by Taylor Jewett but Prince hit one of her three 3-pointers in the game to make it 24-20 with 2:47 left in the third. While Hayfield's 6-foot-2 Shannen Cochrahan was able to post up for two of her team-high 10 points, the Bulldogs -- back by a boisterous home crowd -- finished the quarter strong with Della-Penna finishing another offensive rebound and then Prince turning a steal into a layin for a 28-22 lead going into the final quarter.

Midway through the final quarter, Hayfield stuck close, down by just four, 32-28, after back-to-back Cochrahan buckets but the Stone Bridge fullcourt pressure started to wear on the Hawks and Stone Bridge forced Hayfield to send them to the line where Stone Bridge shot 7 of 13 in the final four minutes.

Prince's sister, sophomore Nicole Prince, provided a spark down the stretch, getting to the line for a free throw and then with a nice assist to Tiernan on the press break. When Stone Bridge went into a well-designed stall, Hayfield spent more than a minute chasing the Bulldogs and then when they overplayed the guards up top, Tiernan went backdoor and made a basket for an And-One opportunity that made it Stone Bridge, 38-28, with 1:41 left.

If it wasn't for a Hayfield jumper in the waning seconds, Stone Bridge would have held the Hawks without a field goal in the five and half minutes of the contest.

Stone Bridge 43, Hayfield 30
Hayfield (11-13): Cochrahan 10, Reives 7, Jewett 6, Smith 4, Abulencia 3.
Stone Bridge (23-3): CPrince 3, Tiernan 13, Della-Penna 8, NPrince 5, Guzek 4.

Photo Gallery: Football - Northern Region Title Game - Hayfield vs. Stone Bridge by Craig Sterbutzel

(Nov. 28, 2010) - Click on any photo to view all 47 shots by Craig Sterbutzel from the Northern Region Division 5 football title game Friday at Stone Bridge, won by the Bulldogs, 35-7 over Hayfield.

Football: Regional Title Games in Ashburn Today and Tonight

(Nov. 26, 2010) - Ashburn is home to two regional title football games today ... take your pick or enjoy both of them as Stone Bridge High School hosts Hayfield in the Northern Region Division 5 title game at 1:30 p.m. and Briar Woods takes on Broad Run in the Region II Division 4 title game at 7 p.m.

It may be a little damp out this morning but Bulldog athletic director Dave Hembach says all things are a "go" for 1:30 p.m. at Stone Bridge or as he put it: "as long as the officials show up and we have two teams ... we are playing."

Expect standing room only tonight in Brambleton for Backyard Brawl 2 as Briar Woods and big brother Broad Run tangle. The Falcons ended the Spartans 33-game winning streak back in October. Broad Run is looking for a third consecutive state title while Briar Woods is looking to extend its best postseason since the school opened in 2005.

Volleyball: While Loudoun County and Stone Bridge Swept to Regional Titles, Heritage Won an Epic 5-Gamer

Heritage High School senior Lian Bernett and junior Christina Kamis

Heritage High School volleyball coach Carmel Keilty


By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun Editor

Leesburg (Nov. 14, 2010) - It was a volleyball "title wave" on Saturday night as three Loudoun teams claimed regional crowns. While Loudoun County (Region II winners) and Stone Bridge (Northern Region) swept to victory, Heritage had to work a 5-game thriller against Cedar Run District foe Osbourn Park to take the school's first ever Northwest Region title.

It was also Stone Bridge's first ever Northern Region title, as the Bulldogs took Hayfield in three games.

For Loudoun County, a quick winner over Dulles District opponent Freedom, it was an amazing fifth straight Region II title. County is the 3-time defending AA state champion and has made the AA state finals four straight years.

For Tuesday, the regional titles earned Heritage (23-2), Loudoun County (25-1) and Stone Bridge (26-1) home dates in the state quarterfinals. The Pride host Deep Run; the Raiders host Powhatan; and Stone Bridge takes on Princess Anne. All start at 7 p.m. with the exception of Heritage that starts at 6 p.m. and cost is $8. (FYI - that price is fixed by the VHSL, not the schools, and senior citizens are not admitted free)

Freedom (17-10) travels to Grafton.

Tuesday Schedule
State Quarterfinals
AA Girls
Cave Spring at Jefferson Forest, 7
Powhatan at Loudoun County, 7
Freedom at Grafton, 7
Turner Ashby at Hidden Valley, 7

AAA Girls
Princess Anne at Stone Bridge, 7
Osbourn Park at Atlee, 7
Deep Run at Heritage, 6
Hayfield at Kellam, 7

The Skinny on Saturday's Regional Titles Games

Girls Basketball: Berry Scores 21, including 11 of 11 from the Foul Line in the 4th, as PFalls Wins Opener

(Dec. 3, 2009) - Symone Berry scored 21 points with nine rebounds and went 11 of 11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to lead the Potomac Falls High School girls basketball team to a 49-47 season-opening win at Hayfield.

Raven Short added 13 points for the Panthers and Jenae Reid had seven points to go with seven steals. Also for PF: Rebecca Perez and Jasmin Jefferies each had three points and five rebounds.

Panther coach Lynn Ewald credited Alyssa Battle (2 points) with great post defense against the taller opponents.

"It was a rough game, but it was the first of the season," commented Ewald.

Both teams combined to shoot 71 free throws in the game with Potomac Falls sinking 14 of 15 in the final quarter.

Score by Quarters
PF 14 9 7 19 49
HF 13 5 12 17 47

Volleyball: Northern Region Scoreboard and Quarterfinal Pairings

(Nov. 10, 2009) - All the top seeds survived in the first round of the AAA Northern Region volleyball tournament Monday with National District champion Hayfield needing five games to dispatch Oakton, the No. 4 seed out of the Concorde District.

The only away team to advance to tonight's quarterfinals was Herndon, the Concorde No. 3 seed, which defated National District runner-up Yorktown in four games. Herndon is at Stone Bridge tonight at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs swept Lake Braddock Monday.

Northern Region Volleyball Bracket
First Round - Nov. 9
Hayfield (National #1) def Oakton (Concorde #4), 3-2
Langley (Liberty #2) def. West Springfield (Patriot #3), 3-0
Woodson (Patriot #2) def. Madison (Liberty #3), 3-0
Robinson (Concorde #1) def. Edison (National #4), 3-0
South County (Patriot #1) def. Fairfax (Liberty #4), 3-0
Chantilly (Concorde #2) def. Washington-Lee (National #2), 3-0
Herndon (Concorde #3) def. Yorktown (National #2), 3-1
Stone Bridge (Liberty #1) def. Lake Braddock (Patriot #4), 3-0

Quarterfinals at higher seed - Nov. 10
Woodson (Patriot #2) at Robinson (Concorde #1)
Chantilly (Concorde #2) at South County (Patriot #1)
Herndon (Concorde #3) at Stone Bridge (Liberty #1)
Langley (Patriot #2) at Hayfield (National #1)

Semifinals at Centreville - Nov. 12
Finals at Centreville - Nov. 14

Competitive Cheer: Stone Bridge Captures Liberty Title, Northern Region Field Almost Set

The Stone Bridge High School competitive cheer team captured its second straight AAA Liberty District title Tuesday and the fourth title for the Bulldogs since moving up in classification five years ago.

Overall Stone Bridge, which has captured four VHSL state titles, has now won eight district titles in the 10 years since the school opened.

The Bulldogs were seeded second after the semifinals but came out on top in the finals ahead of Fairfax, Langley and Thomas Jefferson. All four teams move on to the Northern Region meet which opens with the semifinals this Saturday at Robinson High School.

Results from the other districts:

National District
1 - Washington-Lee
2 - Hayfield
3 - Edison
4 - Mount Vernon

Patriot District
1 - West Springfield
2 - Lake Braddock
3 - R.E. Lee
4 - South County

Then Concorde District finals are Wednesday.