The 19th Annual Flint Hill Tip-Off Classic kicked off yesterday, and one of the matchups was between the Huskies girls and Episcopal. The game was everything you would expect of a rivalry game on a Friday night in front of a large, raucous crowd, plus a nip-and-tuck affair the whole way.
The exciting contest was ultimately won by the Maroon, 56-53. It was a big win for the program, which had been rebuilding for a couple years because of COVID, injuries, and the graduation of several key players.
“Flint Hill is one of the powerhouses in NOVA, they’re a team everyone is trying to beat,” said Episcopal coach Katrina Reed. “I’m very proud of them [my team].”
Northern Virginia got its first big look at Episcopal junior Princess Akojenu, who transferred from New York in the offseason. The guard was extremely impressive, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. She was an absolute terror on the defensive side of the ball, garnering eight steals and eight deflections.
“She’s a Swiss-army knife kind of a kid,” Reed said about her. “We can tell her to defend the other team’s best player…we can tell her to score when opposing defenses focus on Ava [Sawi], she can do anything.”
Episcopal’s defensive pressure in general seemed to wear on Flint Hill, which led for most of the first half. The Maroon applied constant full court pressure to stay close even when their shots weren’t falling. The game was tied at 39 after three quarters, but Reed’s team turned up the heat late. Akojenu was key. Her steal and and-one finish put her team up by three early in the fourth quarter. When the Huskies pulled to within 48-47, her first make from beyond the arc on the night made it 51-47.
Flint Hill battled to the end in front of a loud student section eager to see the Huskies pull out the victory. Unfortunately for the home team, forward Raigan McCalla’s three-point attempt at the end of the game to tie was offline, however.
McCalla was fantastic on the evening even in the loss. She scored 28 and grabbed 12 rebounds, while fellow junior Alana Taylor added 17 points. The Huskies fell to 1-1 with the defeat.
For Episcopal (2-0), senior Ava Sawi, a Radford commit, added 19 points. Sophomore Coever Dixon added 10 points, and although she didn’t have a good night from the line overall, delivered a key free throw make late.
Play continues Saturday in the Flint Hill Classic, with the Huskies taking on John Paul the Great and Episcopal battling Jackson-Reed.
–Chris Jollay
| EPISCOPAL | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| EVERETT | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| DIXON | 3-7 | 2-9 | 10 | 3 | 1 | |
| SAWI | 7-25 | 5-8 | 19 | 4 | 1 | |
| AKOJENU | 9-25 | 4-6 | 22 | 14 | 2 | |
| JAMES | 1-7 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Offutt | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Villegas | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Roy | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Campbell | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 21-72 | 10-23 | 55 | 35 | 8 | |
| Threes: Dixon 2-4, Akojenu 1-6, James 0-1, Campbell 0-1, Villegas 0-2, Roy 0-3, Sawi 0-9 | ||||||
| FLINT HILL | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| Ashley GIULIANI | 2-6 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| McCALLA | 11-24 | 4-5 | 28 | 12 | 4 | |
| Anna GIULIANI | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| TAYLOR | 6-15 | 5-8 | 17 | 3 | 1 | |
| DOKU | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | |
| Stevens | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Douglas | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 21-53 | 9-13 | 53 | 30 | 12 | |
| Threes: McCalla 2-4, Taylor 0-1, Ashley Giuliani 0-1 | ||||||