Lady Cougars Claim Concorde Title
(FAIRFAX, VA)--The Oakton Lady Cougars were pushed to their limits in the Concorde District tournament finale Saturday night. The Herndon Hornets, who came into the ballgame with only 7 wins on the season, and who already knocked off the Centreville Lady Wildcats and the Westfield Lady Bulldogs, gave the Lady Cougars a run for their money in the tournament final.
The Lady Hornets started the game with no fear and outscored the Lady Cougars in the 1st quarter 15 - 9. Throughout the opening quarter Herndon took anything that Oakton gave them and made the most of it. The second quarter, in large contrast to the first was dominated by the Lady Cougars. Oakton outscored the Lady Hornets 22 to 8 in the quarter and took an 8 point lead into the locker room. Oakton was led in the 1st half by Mandy Johnston, who scored all of her points in the half with 12. The Lady Hornets were led by sophomore Alexis Lewis who tallied 8 points in the opening half of play.
The two teams returned from the locker rooms and it was the Lady Hornets who made the most of the break, cutting the Oakton lead in half. At the end of 3 quarters of action the score stood at 41-37 in favor of the Lady Cougars.
Herndon would not quit throughout the 4th quarter and was able to take the lead on a big basket late in the final stanza. The teams then traded 3-pointers back and forth before the Lady Cougars made one final push and took a 51-47 lead and looked to be in good position during the final 1:30 to take home the title. The problem was; nobody told the Lady Hornets that they were supposed to lie down at that point. Herndon would make one final push and actually had the basketball with less than :20 seconds left in the contest down 51-50. An untimely turnover and subsequent fouling allowed the Oakton Lady Cougars to take home the victory with a final score of 53-52.
In the loss Herndon was led by sophomore Alexis Lewis, who finished with 17 points in the game. Emily Baumgartner and Phyllis Martin contributed 8 points each for the Lady Hornets. For the Oakton Lady Cougars, it was Brianna Johnson scoring 14 points, Erin McGartland putting in 13 points, and Mandy Johnston with 12. Johnston was also named the Concorde District tournament MVP.
Chick-Fil-A Players of the Game
Oakton: Brianna Johnson
Junior forward Brianna Johnson led the Lady Cougars with 14 points in the ballgame. Johnson was one of only 6 players to score for Oakton in the win. Johnson will lead the Cougars into the Northern Region tournament next week as a Number 1 seed.
Herndon: Alexis Lewis
Sophomore Alexis Lewis scores 17 points to lead all scorers in the championship game. Despite Lewis' efforts the Lady Cougars fall just short, but look for Herndon to make a move in the Northern Region tournament next week.
