There were a number of reasons #12 Oakton defeated #14 Centreville Friday night, but one aspect of the game stood out–rebounding. Cougars junior forward Jocelynn Kinlaw grabbed 20 rebounds and that was more than Centreville had as a team. That proved to be big in the Cougars’ 48-39 home win.
“I take a lot of pride in my rebounding,” said Kinlaw. “It’s something that if I’m not having a good scoring game I rely on my rebounding, and tonight I am glad I could help my team with that aspect of the game.”
Kinlaw and the Cougars’ dominance on the glass was apparent the whole game, as Oakton outrebounded the Wildcats 38-15. Down the stretch it effectively killed a Wildcats rally. Three times near the end of the game with Oakton shooting free throws Centreville was unable to procure a defensive rebound. Twice Kinlaw grabbed a teammate’s miss, and once the ball went out of bounds back to Oakton.
Those extra possessions were too much for Centreville to overcome. After Oakton’s Emma Brault opened the fourth quarter with five points in a row, Centreville trailed 43-26. But the Wildcats then went on an 11-0 run, sparked by senior guard Aliza Murray. Murray caught fire, scoring 13 of her 18 points in the second half.
Oakton responded when Sophie Toole found Kinlaw open for a nice pass to stop the run. Then, thanks mainly to Kinlaw, Centreville (0-1, 9-4) just wasn’t able to possess the ball long enough to complete the impressive rally.
The game was the Concorde District opener for both teams. Both squads have the goal of making a deep postseason run into the state tournament. Oakton has made the state tournament the past three seasons, but has lost immediately in the quarterfinals each year.
“I just think we have to stay disciplined,” said Kinlaw, when asked what Oakton has to do to go further in the postseason. “[Oakton Coach Fred] Priester does a great job of planning, we just have to play and know what we have to do to win these type games.”
The Cougars’ senior backcourt of Toole and Brooke Chang continue to drive Oakton as well. Toole finished with 17 points and Chang added 13. Chang also had seven boards, to further compound Centreville’s problems on the glass. Kinlaw also had 11 points to go with her 20 rebounds.
Oakton (1-0, 12-3) also did a good job defensively on Malia Siriwardene, one of Centreville’s main offensive weapons. Though Siriwardene was able to set her teammates up for scores, she only had six points herself–well below her average. Fellow senior Dani Cuellar was able to help, contributing nine points on efficient shooting.
The two teams will clash again later this month, January 26th at Centreville.
–Chris Jollay