Panthers & Raiders Advance To Finals
(SOUTH RIDING, VA)--The Dulles District semi-finals took place Thursday night in front of a packed house at Freedom High School. Congratulations to the Potomac Falls Panthers and the Loudoun County Raiders for their wins, as they will now face off against each other this Saturday night to determine the district tournament winner and 2nd qualifier into the Region II tournament next week.
1st Semi-Final: (1) Heritage vs. (4) Loudoun County
The Dulles District men's basketball semifinals, held at Freedom High School, began with the top seeded Heritage Pride squaring off against the fourth seeded Loudoun County Raiders. Heritage was already assured a spot in next week's regional tournament because they were the regular season champions in the Dulles District.
The game started off with Loudoun County scoring first on a close range 2-point jumper. With that shot the Raiders served notice that they would not go quietly into the night. Heritage was unable to get hot from outside and committed too many turnovers in the first half of play. After the first 16 minutes of the ballgame the Raiders enjoyed a 30-21 lead. By the mid-point of the 3rd quarter Loudoun County was able to play on "cruise control", at one point leading the game by 18 points.
The Raiders picked up right where they left off as the second half got underway; quickly extending their lead into double digits. The Pride played with effort for the entire game, but could not pull within single digits for the rest of the night. The final score in the contest, 58-45, in favor of the fourth seeded Loudoun County Raiders.
Loudoun County was led by the outstanding play of Rick Cottom, who scored 13 points in the contest. The Raiders were efficient on both ends of the floor throughout the evening, and Cottom made a difference in that effort.
"We had a good practice last night; so that, and along with outstanding defensive play all night long really helped us," said Raiders coach Brian Blubaugh after the game.
With Heritage having already earned a spot in the Region II Tournament by way of the regular season championship, the Raiders will have to win Saturday night and claim the Dulles District tournament title to grab a spot in the regional tournament.
2nd Semi-Final: Potomac Falls (2) vs. Park View (3)
Game two featured a heated match-up between two very evenly matched teams, as the third seeded Park View Patriots, squared off against the second seeded Potomac Falls Panthers. Alex Hogue was back into the lineup for Coach Hawes, after missing the past few games with an injury.
The Panthers jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead in the first quarter under the play of senior forward Alex Kott, who put up seven points in the stanza. Leading 20-11 after one quarter, the Panthers continued to extend their lead in the 2nd quarter. The half ended with Potomac Falls leading 34-22.
Despite a slow start, the Patriots refused to go away, climbing to within 4 points with 6:22 to go in the game, after being down by as many as 20 in the second half. The Panthers quickly recovered and won the game 64-54, thus punching their ticket to the Dulles District championship, and a potential spot in the regional tournament.
"This is hands down the best ball we've played all year. We worked the ball around great on offense, and that's what got us this win," said Panthers head coach Jeff Hawes following the game.
The Panthers must now face and defeat a red-hot Loudoun County team in the district finals on Saturday in order to make it to the Region II tournament next week. The Raiders have won their last six games, so the Panthers will have their work cut out for them Saturday night.
It will be put-up or shut-up Saturday night, winner moves on, loser goes home. Expect an all out brawl between these two teams as they fight for their right to keep their respective seasons alive. It will be a match-up of teacher and student as Raiders head coach Brian Blubaugh was an assistant to Hawes at Potomac Falls not long ago. The game can be heard worldwide on The Gameday Radio Network exclusively online at www.GamedayMagazine.com.
Chick-Fil-A Players of the Game:
Heritage: Steven Shockley
Shockley has been a key component in the Pride's team all year long, and it showed Thursday night, as he scored 13 points against a stingy Loudoun County defense.
Loudoun County: Rick Cottom
Cottom also put up 13 points Thursday night, as he helped lead the Raiders to victory. Making big plays at key moments, Cottom proved to be the X-factor in getting the Raiders to the district championship.
Park View: Thomas Mulabah
A two sport star for the Patriots (football and basketball), Mulabah led all Patriot scorers in his final game, as he worked his way to a final output of 14 points. Mulabah will be greatly missed at the center position next year, as he will graduate this spring.
Potomac Falls: Alex Kott
Yet another double-double for Kott on Thursday, as he dropped in 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds en route to a Panther victory over the Patriots. Expect Kott to play a crucial role in Saturday's championship match-up over the Raiders.
