Lancers Cruise To Regional Crown
(FAIRFAX, VA)--The Robert E. Lee Lady Lancers were looking to take care of business against the W.T. Woodson Lady Cavaliers in the Northern Region girls' basketball tournament finale Saturday night. Lee came into the game as the #4 team in the Gameday Power Poll. Regardless of what was going to happen in the championship game, both teams knew they would be making an appearance in the state tournament that is set to begin next week. The Northern Region title game would be icing on the cake and bragging rights for a full year, depending on who was able to pull out the victory.
The Lady Lancers proved why they were one of the best teams in the area in grabbing the victory in convincing fashion 66 - 40.
From the opening tip of the game Lee set the tone and would not let Woodson get into their game plan. The Lady Lancers pressed after every basket and created numerous turnovers throughout the game, tallying 17 steals in the contest. Lee outscored Woodson 18 - 10 in the opening period; being led by Kristine Mial's 8 points. It seemed that Woodson would be able to settle down after the opening quarter and get into some type of rhythm; however, the Lady Lancers had other ideas for the 2nd quarter. In the quarter it was Lee who again kept the pressure up and increased their lead to 38 - 18 after the 1st half. Lee was being led by Mial and Brittany Gropp, who made three 3-pointers in the opening half. The Lady Cavaliers were looking for answers as the two squads went into the locker rooms for the halftime intermission. Woodson was being paced by Melissa Gallo with 7 points.
Despite giving their best efforts in the 2nd half, the Woodson Lady Cavaliers did not have enough to overtake the 20-point deficit they faced at halftime. The Lee Lancers would continue to apply pressure throughout the 3rd quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 16 - 8 in the quarter. The 4th and final stanza in the ballgame was elementary for both squads. The Lady Cavaliers made their run to start the 4th, but were answered directly by the Lady Lancers. Coach Pat Neri conceded in the final 2 minutes of the game and allowed some of his bench players to see the court in the title game. The Lady Lancers also showed their compassion to end the game, finally pulling back their pressure over the final few minutes of the game, once Woodson had conceded the victory.
The R. E. Lee Lady Lancers will play next Saturday in the VHSL state quarterfinal round to be held at Robinson Secondary School. The W. T. Woodson Lady Cavaliers will be on the road next weekend for their state quarterfinal match-up with a team from the Eastern Region.
Northern Region All-Tournament Team
--Kristine Mial (R. E. Lee) - Tournament MVP
--Brittany Gropp (R. E. Lee)
--J'Quita Babineaux (R. E. Lee)
--Ashley Thompson (W. T. Woodson)
--Sarah Schoof (W. T. Woodson)
--Katie Wimmer (Madison)
--LaNia Charity (Yorktown)
Game Stats
W. T. Woodson
--Sarah Schoof: 12 points, 4 rebounds
--Melissa Gallo: 11 points, 5 rebounds
--Ashley Thompson: 9 points 3 rebounds
--Leah Bonuccelli: 4 points, 2 rebounds
--Annie Griffin: 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
R. E. Lee
--Kristine Mial: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
--J'Quita Babineaux: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
--Brittany Gropp: 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
--Kashei Hopkins: 8 points, 1 rebound, 5 steals
--Jackie Williams: 5 points, 3 steals
--Priscilla Moseh: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
Chick-Fil-A Players of the Game
W. T. Woodson: Sarah Schoof, Senior
Schoof worked hard inside all night long for the Lady Cavaliers. She was able to grab 4 rebounds while scoring 12 points to lead Woodson to a runner-up finish in the Northern Region.
R. E. Lee: Kristine Mial, Junior
Mial led all scorers in the game with 22 points. She was also able to grab 6 rebounds and make 3 steals for the Lady Lancers. Mial went on to be named Northern Region tournament MVP for the week.
