Teams rarely win when they shoot 20% from the field, especially on the road. #12 Heritage did win Monday night at Potomac Falls, however, despite doing exactly that.
The Pride were victorious almost entirely because of a top-notch defensive effort. Heritage held the Panthers to seven first half points and used an aggressive, trapping defense to force ample turnovers, en route to a hard-earned 33-24 win.
“We told them, we held them to 24 points–that’s phenomenal–against a team that was undefeated, we think one of the top teams in Loudoun County,” said Heritage Head Coach Tayler Cook.
“Our following of the game plan was great. We gave up a couple things out of the press but I truly thought our defense was awesome, especially considering how bad our offensive night was,” she added.
While Heritage only shot 20%, the Pride also got 20 more shots than their opponents, thanks to that defense. Especially in the first quarter, when Potomac Falls could only muster two points, the Panthers gave the ball up constantly against Heritage traps in the half court and full court. When the home team did get shots, they were often rushed and off the mark.
Heritage’s offense was solid enough early, but started to sputter in the second quarter when Cook’s team could only manage five points and a 17-7 lead at halftime. It was more of the same in the second half, where tough defense on both sides kept both teams unable to score almost three minutes into the third quarter.
Then Potomac Falls (5-1) found some life. Hallis Morris found fellow senior Brynn Hunter for a basket, which started a 7-0 run and fired up a pretty good PFalls home crowd. Morris’ tough defense to earn a five-second call on Heritage kept the pressure on, and Potomac Falls only trailed 19-16 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter Heritage re-gained the momentum, not surprisingly through its defense. After her team extended the lead to 23-17, Pride senior guard Rachel Stewart stole the ball and fed junior guard Riley Makitka for a bucket. Stewart got another steal, which led to an Alyssa Stanford baseline jumper. It was now again a double-digit Pride lead, one that they would not relinquish.
While Stanford (nine points) did not have her most efficient offensive night, her relentless nature still got her a lot of looks at the basket and 13 rebounds. The Pride had twice as many rebounds as Potomac Falls, which was another big factor in the game. Senior forward Kaitlyn Puzenski was a big factor on the glass as well, and her three-three pointers and game-high 11 points were badly-needed offense for her team.
It certainly wasn’t always pretty, but it was another solid win for Heritage (5-1), which is now on a five-game winning streak after a season-opening loss to John Handley. During the streak the Pride have avenged the loss to Handley, defeated a ranked Chantilly team, and defeated Class 3 state finalist Meridian. There’s a good vibe this year around Cook’s team, with an eye toward a Dulles District title and perhaps more.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a harder December schedule,” said Cook, in her first year at the school after coming over from Tuscarora. “Right now what we’re trying to do is teach them how to win in these moments. I think right now it’s about elevating confidence and realizing we’re good enough to win these games.”
Then she laughed a little, cognizant of her team’s shooting performance.
“And some nights we’re just trying to make lay-ups.”
–Chris Jollay
all statistics are unofficial
| HERITAGE | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| K.STANFORD | 1-8 | 0-0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | |
| MAKITKA | 2-10 | 1-2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
| A.STANFORD | 3-16 | 2-2 | 9 | 13 | 2 | |
| PUZENSKI | 4-10 | 0-2 | 11 | 10 | 1 | |
| STEWART | 0-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Padgett | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Ehrmantraut | 0-1 | 2-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gross | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Egnotovich | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 11-55 | 6-10 | 33 | 42 | 9 | |
| Threes: Puzenski 3-5, A.Stanford 1-2, K.Stanford 1-6, Egnotovich 0-1, Stewart 0-2, Makitka 0-3, Padgett 0-3 | ||||||
| POTOMAC FALLS | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| ROSSITER | 2-4 | 1-4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| GOBEILLE | 2-10 | 0-0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| YASHINA | 0-3 | 2-2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| MORRIS | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| HUNTER | 3-7 | 1-4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | |
| Doane | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Gough | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| O’Grady | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Powell | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 9-35 | 5-14 | 24 | 21 | 7 | |
| Threes: Morris 1-2, Hunter 0-1, Gobeille 0-2, Powell 0-2 | ||||||