2022.02.22 Boys Basketball: VHSL Region 4C Semifinal, Kettle Run @ Loudoun County

Leesburg, VA (February 22, 2022) - It's always a challenge to predict the outcome of first round regional playoff games. Most often, the competing teams have not yet played each other and they rarely have mutual opponents. But, the teams earn their way. In this case, the Loudoun County Captains were the top seed due to their regular season Dulles District regular season championship while the Kettle Run Cougars earned their spot by finishing second in the Northwestern District.

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

Kettle Run scored first, from the foul line, to take the lead, 1-0. Unfortunately for the visitors, that was the last time the Cougars would be ahead. And by the end of the period, Loudoun County was solidly in control, leading 24-18.  

It was clear that Kettle Run's Jordan Tapscott was the team leader as he repeatedly dipped and swerved through the Loudoun County Defense. For the Captains, it was somewhat harder to tell who was leading the way at any given time. Jimmy Daughtrey was clearly the floor leader, but everyone seemed to be able to move, pass and shoot with complete confidence--a perfectly balanced attack. Being able to go deep on the bench and not lose any intensity or accuracy is a hallmark of this Loudoun County iteration.

With under two minutes remaining in the second period, Kettle Run closed the margin to just two points, 30-28, but a quick surge by the Captains made it 38-28 at halftime.

And this pattern repeated itself once more in the third period. When the Cougars closed the lead to 42-36 with 3:00 remaining, Loudoun County poured it on and finished the period ahead, 51-38. And that pretty much eliminated any further pushes from Kettle Run.

While the Cougars would try to slow Loudoun County down in the fourth quarter, through aggressive defense and strategic fouling, the Captains just continued to add to their lead until the final buzzer. They now advance to host the region championship at home against arch-rival Loudoun Valley.

Final Score: Loudoun County 67 - Kettle Run 49