Missed Opportunities Plague Patriots in Loss
STERLING, VA - Friday night featured a renewal of one of the most heated rivalries in Northern Virginia, as the girls' basketball squads of the Broad Run Spartans and the Park View Patriots met. The game did not disappoint the fans, as both teams left it all on the court. However, a failure to convert on key opportunities throughout the night was the downfall for the Patriots, and they fall for only the 4th time this season.
Free throw shooting was a particular problem for the Patriots throughout the game, only converting on 7 of 21 shots from the line (33%). On the flipside, the Spartans hit 9 of 13 foul shots (69%), and arguably was the factor in the Broad Run victory.
In addition, continued breakdowns converting on the offensive side of the ball presented itself as a problem for the Patriots on Friday night. At one point, in the middle of the 4th quarter, the Patriots trailed by six points. The defense was able to stop the Spartans on six consecutive possessions, but the Patriots were not able to score in succession, and the chance to turn a six point deficit into a possible six point lead was exhausted.
Overall, the Patriots had a very good defensive game, only allowing 49 points to one of the more impressive offenses in the Dulles District. However, the continued difficulties on offensive proved to be the end on this night, as the Patriots fell, 49-42.
Karita Brown and Rachael Miller led all Patriot scorers with 9 points each, with Brown also grabbing 6 rebounds. The Patriots drop to 7-4 on the season, and 3-2 in the Dulles District. Their next match-up will be against the Briar Woods Falcons (6-4), on January 14th at Briar Woods High School in Brambleton. Game time is 7:30 pm.
