Leesburg, VA (February 23, 2023) - With 2:26 remaining in the first quarter, the Sherando Warriors called a timeout trailing the Tuscarora Huskies, 8-0. This was clearly not how they hoped things would go, and big changes needed to be made if they were to capture the region title. By the end of the period, the Warriors had made things more respectable, but the Huskies were comfortable with a 10-4 lead.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
No one in the gym--except maybe those on the Sherando bench--thought a comeback was even remotely possible. The Warriors had shot poorly, and they had been dominated by the Huskies on both ends of the court, but comeback they did. It required a cold stretch from Tuscarora--which they somehow got--but it was primarily fueled by two big three-point shots from Grace Burke including one with no time remaining in the period. At the halftime buzzer, everyone in Tuscarora blue was stunned to be trailing, 15-14.
Almost unbelievably, the Huskies could not initially shake out of their doldrums as the second half began. They fell further behind on another big shot from Burke, and midway through the third quarter Tuscarora was down, 23-16. The Huskies were clearly the more experienced side--and perhaps even the more talented side--but they were at risk of losing a rare opportunity for a regional crown
And that's when Grace Middleton showed up. Finally breaking free of the scrappy Sherando defense and getting laser-focused, the senior led her team on a fabulous eleven-point run that closed out the quarter with Tuscarora finally back in front and on a roll.
In the final quarter, Sherando tried to get back in it, but the Huskies would have none of it. Now firing on all cylinders, Tuscarora stretched the lead quickly to ten points forcing the Warriors into a timeout with 5:00 remaining.
But the Huskies could not be stopped. Alysa Carrigan--who had scored six of Tuscarora's first eight points back in the initial quarter--was once again dominating the middle on both ends. Meanwhile, a determined Middleton energized her teammates and was completely unstoppable as they finished their regional championship run in complete control.
Final Score: Tuscarora 43 - Sherando 29
