Stunned At Home: Panthers Fall 78-59
POTOMAC FALLS, VA - Orange County's Quinton Hunter controlled the opening tip off and the Fighting Hornets controlled the rest of the game from that point forward, beating Potomac Falls 78-59 in the first round of the regional playoffs. Hunter led all scorers with 19, but it was the 16-0 run that the Hornets went on to start the game that made it nearly impossible for the Panthers to rebound from. Panther head coach Jeff Hawes said the start of the game was too much for his team to overcome.
"We made a few runs at them but we just couldn't get back in it," Hawes said. "Our kids fought hard but it just wasn't our night."
In the early goings of the game, Orange County out rebounded and overpowered the host Panthers. Potomac Falls struggled to bring the ball down the court on offense against a powerful Hornet press, and they couldn't muster more than a few second shot opportunities. On defense, the Panthers were overwhelmed by the hot shooting of Ryan Van Hook (17 pts) and Hunter (19 points). At the end of the first quarter, Potomac Falls found themselves down 18-2.
Potomac Falls ended the second period just like they did the first, trailing by 17 points to the Hornets. The Panthers tried to make it a game in the third period but Orange's D.J Brown hit a big 3 pointer with a few minutes left to keep the lead at 15.
Guard Greg Woodlief came alive for the Panthers in the 3rd quarter with six big inside points. Unfortunately, foul trouble caught up with the Panthers in the fourth quarter and the Hornets were deadly from the free throw line. With just under two minutes to go and the lead far out of reach, both teams turned the game over to the reserves as the Potomac Falls seniors were applauded as they exited the court to end the night. Orange County cruised the rest of the way to a 78-59 point win and advanced to the Region Semi Finals.
Woodlief finished the night with 10 points and led all scorers for Potomac Falls. Orange County will play Millbrook on Thursday.....
