Leesburg, VA (January 3, 2023) - The Tuscarora Huskies and Loudoun County Captains entered tonight's game unsure about how the two teams compare. For one thing, it's still early in the season. Moreover, their overall records were very similar (5-1 and 4-2, respectively) and their district records were unblemished, 3-0 and 2-0. A head-to-head matchup would be a good way to judge whether one or the other rightly sits at the top of the Dulles District.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
As anticipated, the first quarter was very tight. The Huskies opened with a fast-paced offense and a high volume of shots, but the Captains countered that with a more patient offense and a selective shot approach. The quarter ended as the game had begun, tied at 10-10.
The feel of the second period was one of Tuscarora dominance, but the scoreboard did not reflect any separation at all. Even a reverse dunk from Brady Solomon was not enough to swing momentum the Huskies way. On the other end, County's Jack West was quietly keeping the game tight. At halftime, after a score correction, the game remained even at 18-18.
When the teams returned to the court they both brought a renewed intensity. Scrapping for everything--as cross-town rivals do--no pass went uncontested and no basket was made easily. The Captains continued their patient offense, but had a hard time penetrating the Huskies' interior defense, and slowly, Tuscarora began to pull ahead.
Trailing 34-27 with six minutes remaining in the game, the Captains dug deep and cut into the margin. Ironically, another big dunk from Solomon seemed to motivate Loudoun County, and with under a minute left they closed the gap to 40-37. But the Captains just couldn't hit the big shot they needed and the Huskies were flawless at the foul line to hang on for the win.
Final Score: Tuscarora 44 - Loudoun County 37
