2023.02.06 Girls Basketball: Riverside @ Woodgrove
Purcellville, VA (February 6, 2023) - The Woodgrove Wolverines are in the midst of a stellar season. Their overall record has only two blemishes, one by Dulles District powerhouse Tuscarora, and one by Potomac District rival Briar Woods.
Tonight's game would be no easy matchup with the visiting Riverside Rams clearly a strong contender in third place in the district standings. But in their previous meeting, the Wolverines had won easily so they had confidence going into this one.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
The Rams had different ideas. Perhaps catching the Wolverines off guard a bit with scrambling and aggressive defense, Riverside jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Woodgrove's Angelina Nice then took the game on her shoulders--and almost single-handedly got her team in front for the first time at 8-7--but Riverside surged ahead again and forced the Wolverines into a timeout at 2:37 of the first period. The break didn't help as the Rams pushed the lead out to eight before settling for a 25-19 lead to end the period.
Woodgrove was the stronger team in the second quarter, but Riverside kept battling. When Addie McCullers hit a three-pointer midway through the period she put the Wolverines ahead, 28-26, but the lead exchanged hands three more times before halftime. When Maia Brown nailed a buzzer-beater from behind the arc, she sent the Rams into the locker room with a tenuous, but well-earned 37-35 lead.
When the teams returned to the court, Woodgrove had new life and a lot of it. The Wolverines were much better inside and scored six quick, unanswered points in the first minute of the third quarter. Whipping the ball around the court, the home team took complete control and would never trail again. With four minutes remaining in the quarter, Riverside called timeout, suddenly and decisively trailing, 49-37, having not scored yet in the period. They got their offense jump-started, but could not gain ground before the final break.
In the fourth quarter, Woodgrove pushed the lead to nearly twenty points. With two minutes remaining, their lead was 76-58. To their credit the Rams never gave up, but victory was now assured for the Wolverines, who moved ever closer to wrapping up the top spot in the district tournament.
Final Score: Woodgrove 76 - Riverside 65
