Purcellville, VA (March 1, 2022) - They say that it's really difficult to beat a team three times in a single season. Well, the Woodgrove Wolverines had already done that to the Briar Woods Falcons--including that last time in the Potomac District Championship. So now the question was whether it could be done four times in a row, and in the region championship, no less.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
The Falcons had reason to be confident of their chances. After all, ranked as the fifth seed in the region tournament they had upset the fourth seed and then the top-seeded teams in succession to advance to the final.
And that confidence materialized early in the sophomore tandem of Hope Drake and Noelle Cabiness as Briar Woods built a 10-6 lead with three minutes left in the first period. But Woodgrove battled back to tie the score at the first break, 14-14.
In the second quarter, the Woodgrove defense intensified forcing Briar Woods into less than ideal shots. Behind the full court brilliance of Sadie Shores and the senior leadership of Tara Mullen and Ashley Steadman, the Wolverines began taking off, as they built a solid, if not yet dominant, 28-19 halftime lead.
With two quick three's to start the third period, it looked like Woodgrove might run away with it. And, indeed, they built an insurmountable lead by the final break, 45-29. The Falcons continued to scramble, but had to resort to long range jumpers to desperately try to get back in the game. But their strategy was simply not enough to narrow the margin, and the Wolverines finished as unbeaten, untied, district regular season champions, district tournament champions, and now region champions.
Both teams advance to the state tournament, with Woodgrove hosting a first round game--and Briar Woods traveling--on Friday, March 4.
Final Score: Woodgrove 63 - Briar Woods 42
