Who knows what time the Loudoun Valley girls get up this Saturday morning? Nine? Ten? Well past noon? Just before dinner? It really doesn’t matter because there isn’t any basketball practice today and they’ve earned the right to sleep in.
“I gave ’em a deal,” Valley coach Kenyamo McFarlane told us after his team defeated Potomac Falls Friday night. “Take care of business today and you’re off tomorrow. Plus they have a team-bonding sleepover which they have every year.”
His team certainly took care of business Friday night. The #15 Vikings outscored Potomac Falls 17-2 in the second quarter, forcing turnovers on four straight possessions at one point, en route to a 53-33 victory. The Vikings full-court zone press gave Potomac Falls fits all evening and matters were made worse for the Panthers as they were without point guard Ashley Pandelides. Without her and against a good defensive team like Loudoun Valley, Potomac Falls simply couldn’t muster enough firepower to pull off a road upset.
“That [quarter] swung the momentum for us,” McFarlane said. “We’re a big defensive team, pressing and trapping…we want the other team to be frustrated and play the way we want them to play.”
Early on it did look like Potomac Falls could make a game out of it. Talented senior forward Natalie Brennan scored seven quick points to stake the Panthers to a first quarter lead, but Valley soon made some defensive adjustments to key on her. That’s when Loudoun Valley started to roll. Senior Olivia Badura had a nice Euro-step lay-in to put her team up 9-7 and the Vikings never trailed again.
The Vikings got good contributions from senior guard Haley Pasqualone (ten points, eight rebounds), senior center Lakin Krisko (10 rebounds), and junior guard Alyssa Hassan. Hassan (eight points) hit a three-pointer and was fouled twice while shooting from beyond the arc in the second quarter.
“The back-breaker were the back-to-back threes,” McFarlane said. “That and the turnovers really broke their spirit.”
McFarlane also raved about tall junior forward Megan Stevenson, who led the Vikings attack with 14 points and nine rebounds. “She has blossomed from last year to this year,” he told us. “Her confidence has really grown and we’re really excited about what she’s done these first three years here.”
It was the first loss of the season for Potomac Falls (4-1). The Panthers were led on the evening by Brennan’s 13 points and sophomore forward Ashley Allen, who had nine points and 10 rebounds They’ll try to rebound Monday with a game against John Champe.
It’s back to work Monday for the Vikings (3-0), who travel to Martinsburg (WV) next Thursday.
“One game at a time,” McFarlane told us before departing the gym to enjoy his Friday night. “There’s a lot of potential, but we already know what our end goal is. So I told them, let’s not talk about the goal let’s just work every day to get better and better.”
Well, not every day. Not this Saturday, at least.
–Chris Jollay
Boys Action, Loudoun Valley 57 at Potomac Falls 77
On Friday night two of Loudoun’s powerhouse programs met for a highly-anticipated matchup for Potomac Falls’ home opener. The game started off quick for the Panthers, as they were able to drive into the lane somewhat uncontested. The game tightened up midway through the first quarter when the Potomac Falls lead was cut to 13-9; from there the Panthers got on a 12-1 run to end the quarter, putting them up 25-10. This run was decisive in putting the Vikings in a double-digit hole which they faced almost the entirety of the rest of the game.
The Vikings trailed by around 10-15 for the rest of the game until the fourth quarter, when the Panthers’ depth became a factor. Potomac Falls managed to not only hold its lead, but extend it.
Leading the way for the Vikings were a trio of juniors: Avery Nance, Trent Dawson, and Umayr Obaid all with 11 points apiece.
Pushing the Panthers to a big victory were four players in double figures: Damien Harrison and Landon Hawes both with 20, Ian Anderson with 12, and Jalen Coker with 10. Loudoun Valley’s next game is at home 12/12 vs Washington (WV), and Potomac Falls is at home 12/10 vs John Champe.
–Grayson Alto
GIRLS BOX SCORE–all stats are unofficial
| LOUDOUN VALLEY | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| BADURA | 3-16 | 0-2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | |
| THOMPSON | 2-9 | 0-3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| PASQUALONE | 4-8 | 0-0 | 10 | 8 | 1 | |
| STEVENSON | 6-6 | 2-2 | 14 | 9 | 0 | |
| KRISKO | 1-6 | 1-4 | 3 | 10 | 1 | |
| Campbell | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Hassan | 1-3 | 5-6 | 8 | 0 | 3 | |
| Bodamer | 2-3 | 1-4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| Traub | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Brennan | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Cohoon | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Wagers | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 20-58 | 10-23 | 53 | 40 | 8 | |
| Threes: Pasqualone 2-2, Hassan 1-2, Badura 0-4, Thompson 0-2, Wagers 0-1 | ||||||
| POTOMAC FALLS | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| SUCHOSKI | 0-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| VALENTE | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| BRENNAN | 5-8 | 0-2 | 13 | 4 | 0 | |
| ALLEN | 3-7 | 3-4 | 9 | 10 | 0 | |
| ANDERSON | 0-3 | 1-4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Swarm | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Miller | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Palmer | 1-7 | 0-1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| Eichensehr | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bolido | 2-3 | 0-2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| Lawall | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 13-44 | 4-13 | 33 | 31 | 8 | |
| Threes: Brennan 3-6, Palmer 0-2, Valente 0-1, Swarm 0-1 | ||||||
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