Local Teams Book a Trip To Siegel Center
The Lady Cougars will get to continue their run in the post season down at VCU in the State Semifinals on Wednesday. Oakton played solidly in the quarterfinals to notch a win over the Stonewall Jackson Raiders on Saturday afternoon...
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FAIRFAX, VA - Saturday evening marked another edition of the VHSL state quarterfinals for basketball in both the girls' and boys' divisions. Four games occurred at Robinson Secondary School, with all of them featuring keynote DC Metro area teams.
The George Mason Mustangs girls' squad dominated the Northampton Yellow Jackets in the first game, beating them 70-19.
GAME TWO: Oakton (74) vs. Stonewall Jackson (58)
In the second girls' match-up of the evening, the Oakton Cougars took on the Stonewall Jackson Lady Raiders. The Cougars shot the lights out all game, which allowed them to prevail over the Raiders, who were led by highly touted Kyani White.
The Cougars immediately began the game by establishing their offense, attacking the basket as well as getting open jump shots from behind the arc. After the first quarter, the Cougars held a 22-11 lead thanks in part to two 3-pointers by Danielle Davis. In the second quarter, it was more of the same from the Cougars, as their offense continued to play unconsciously. Katherine Coyer scored seven points for the Cougars in the quarter, giving her squad a 40-26 lead at halftime.
After a visit to the locker room, the Cougars picked up right where they left off to start the third quarter. Game MVP Caroline Coyer scored 11 points in the quarter to give the Cougars a 59-43 advantage with just one quarter remaining. White began to try to takeover in the fourth quarter for the Raiders in an attempt to bring her team back to within striking distance. However, the Cougars shot 12 foul shots and only missed one in the quarter, keeping the Raiders at bay. When it was all said and done, the Cougars advanced to the state semifinals with a 74-58 victory.
"We played really well all around," Caroline Coyer said. "We shot well, we played good defense, and we rebounded well."
Caroline Coyer led the game in points with 32 points. Her sister Katherine followed her with 16 points.
As for the Raiders, Ryan Jordan led the way with 21 points. White and Joy Caracciolo both dropped 11 points as well.
GAME THREE: West Springfield (54) vs. Osbourn Park (49)
For the third game of the evening, as well as the final girls' match-up of the night, the Osbourn Park Yellow Jackets took on the West Springfield Spartans. The Yellow Jackets dominated the first half, but the Spartans' offense in the second kicked into overdrive, giving them the right to move onto the semifinals.
A fast pace was set at the get-go as both teams were flying up and down the floor. The Yellow Jackets utilized their fast break offense, and Destiny Shearin scored five points in the first quarter to give her team a 13-11 lead over the Spartans. The pace slowed down in the second quarter, as both teams got more involved in their half court offense. The Spartans were unable to score until 4:51was left in the half, nonetheless, their defense kept them in the game. A late run by the Spartans put them within one point, as the Yellow Jackets led 24-23 at halftime.
In the third quarter though, the Spartans' offense finally began to show their true colors. The Spartans began to work the ball inside with great success. April Robinson, the game MVP, scored six points to help the Spartans take a 40-34 lead with just one quarter to play. In the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets were simply ice cold from the field and unable to make up ground. Robinson had another impressive quarter, scoring 10 points en route to her squad's 54-49 win over the Yellow Jackets.
"We expect to play our best, and we did in the second half," Robinson said.
Robinson led the Spartans with 18 points. She was followed by Logan Battle, who scored 16. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets were led by Shearin, who contributed 16 on the night.
GAME FOUR: Chantilly (50) vs. Gar-Field (40)
In the final game of the night as well as the lone boys' matchup, the Chantilly Chargers played host to the Gar-Field Indians. The Indians stayed close the whole game, but the Chargers inside game was too much to handle, and they earned the right to compete at VCU next weekend in the state semifinals.
In the first quarter, the Chargers opened up their offense by attacking inside. Adam Fridy also provided a spark by nailing two 3-pointers on two consecutive possessions for the Chargers, who held a 17-12 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, John Manning proved to be a huge presence inside on the boards. The Chargers shot well, but a late run by the Indians fueled by seven points from Randell Smith put his team within two points, with the Chargers leading 25-23 at halftime.
The third quarter crawled out of the gate offensively, as the first two points came with 3:43 remaining off a jump shot by Smith. Kethan Savage, who was quiet in the first half, woke up the sleeping giant with a ferocious dunk with 1:20 left. With the third quarter completed, the Chargers led 31-25.
In the fourth quarter, the Indians began to find their offensive spark. However, the Chargers refused to give up any ground, and held off a late run by the Indians to claim a 50-40 win.
"We played our hardest and we got it done," Savage said.
Savage and Devin Ballam both scored 12 points on the day to lead the Chargers. Adam Friday also scored 10 on the night. Smith led the Indians with 14 points. He was followed closely by Corey Bonds, who poured in 12.
