Falls Church is a program on the rise, that’s for sure. With the competition in the National District as balanced as it’s been in years, Marshall Coach Mike Trivisonno knows that even while undefeated, his squad has to bring it every night.
“If we play our best, we think we have good chances to win games. But the competition is such that we’ve gotta play well to win,” he said.
The #3 Statesmen did just that on a night in which they honored their seniors. Led by Washington University commit Christina Trivisonno’s 25 points, they held off #14 Falls Church to remain undefeated, 54-40.
Marshall led by as many as 20, and its balanced and dynamic offense was on full display as seven players scored and shared the ball beautifully throughout the night.
“We really focus on being balanced and sharing the ball. We always say that if someone came into the gym and watched us for ten minutes, one thing they should takeaway is ‘wow, that team shares the ball’ and offensively, that’s our primary thing—to share the ball and be balanced,” said Trivisonno.
It all starts with Christina and her twin sister Mary, also committed to Wash U. Their attack-the-basket, contact-loving offensive arsenal is tough to stop, especially when they have the ability to hit from beyond the arc as well. A spurt of buckets from Christina widened the lead for Marshall in the second, which really opened the gates and from which they wouldn’t look back.
Inside, the Statesmen have a pair of senior posts in Brenna Smith and Calvin commit Valerie Dirkse, who often start fast breaks off by closing good defensive sequences with blocks and rebounds.
Falls Church did not go quietly, though. Freshman forward Simone Pendleton led the Jaguars with 16 points, and left plenty of reason for the district to be on the lookout for her in the next four years. Senior G/F Lauren Gagermeier scored 14 while tasked with slowing down Marshall’s dynamic guards, and managed to grab a few steals. OliviaVictoria Deal, another freshman forward, also impressed with five points and held her own against tough post defense inside.
The Jaguars (3-1, 3-2) will certainly continue to improve as the season goes on. They will look to get back on track on Thursday when they travel to Edison, a team they topped by two at the start of the season.
Marshall (5-0, 6-0) will continue district play as well against Justice on Thursday.
–Max Nagle
@MaxWritesHoops
Falls Church’s freshman center is Victoria Deal, not Olivia. Thank you for your coverage!!