Aldie, VA (December 22, 2020) - The new Lightridge gym was practically glowing in anticipation of the school's first ever home varsity basketball game. It's too bad that COVID restrictions kept the arena nearly empty because the young Lightning team--with no senior players--was ready to take on one of Loudoun County's traditional powerhouse teams, the Loudoun Valley Vikings.

Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.

Amazingly, Lightridge made the first basket and then held the lead at 8-6 midway through the first quarter. Loudoun Valley was coming off a season-opening loss to Broad Run, and they may have been back on their heels a bit to start the game. But by the end of the first quarter the Vikings had a slim but sure 14-12 lead.

The Lightning showed grit and determination, but they lacked the height that they needed, and Loudoun Valley had more than enough in Julien Randolph and Ben Hall who took total control of the boards on both ends of the court in the second quarter. Most Lightridge drives into the lane ended in a blocked or off-balance shot, and at halftime the visitors were solidly ahead, if not quite comfortable.

In the end it really didn't seem like a nearly thirty point margin of victory, but with three minutes to go both teams were substituting liberally to get bench players some early experience. The Viking evened their season record at 1-1 and could get on the bus with a solid, team-building win. On the other hand, Lightridge could be proud that they had christened their new home with a valiant effort against a more experienced roster.

Final Score: Loudoun Valley 63 - Lightridge 35