Ashburn (December 30, 2012) – After starting the Honda of Dulles Battle of Ashburn Tournament with a 12 point loss against Briar Woods on Friday night, the Stone Bridge High School boys basketball team bounced back and defeated Broad Run on Saturday 82-66 after outscoring the Spartans 31-13 in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs (3-8 record) shot 23 of 31 from the free throw line, including 15 of 17 from the line in the final quarter, to conclude their come from behind victory against the Spartans (4-6). Jason Jolly, Emad Rahman and Jimmy Higgins combined for 47 points and Jon Allen’s double-double included 16 big boards in the win for Stone Bridge.
Broad Run took it to Stone Bridge at he onset as junior forward Khiorie Stewart (18 points) drilled two 3-pointers less than 1 minute into the game to take an early 6-2 lead. Stewart and the Spartans led after the first quarter 20-15, but also took a hit as senior point guard Bryant Locke picked up his second foul late in the first quarter.
Locke, who started the second quarter with two fouls, was called on a blocking foul less than a minute into the period and had to sit down for the remainder of the half.
The Spartans, however, did not suffer as Stewart continued to score adding to his 13 first half points. Broad Run, looking like the dominant team in the first half, went into halftime leading 36-35.
Coming out of the locker room after halftime, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs looked like a completely new, re-energized basketball team. Senior guard Higgins added five points in the third quarter, to his team high 16 points as the Bulldogs hung even with the Spartans and headed into the fourth quarter down 53-51.
The Spartans played almost six minutes of the fourth quarter without their point guard Locke as he fouled out with his fifth foul two minutes into the final stanza. Broad Run went to freshman guard Jaleel Robinson who carried the second half load for the Spartans adding nine points to his season high 11 points.
Still, Robinson could not do enough as Stone Bridge’s sophomore point guard Jolly (16 points, 4 assists) scored 11 points in the fourth quarter alone, hitting 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Bulldog forward Allen (11 points, 16 rebounds) added 7 of 8 free throws and guard Rahman (15 points) added 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Stone Bridge’s second half dominance came in the free throw and rebounding departments. The Bulldogs grabbed 26 rebounds in each half (52 total) as the Spartans only secured 26 in the entire game.
Analysis:Stone Bridge defeating Broad Run pushed all three tournament teams, including Briar Woods, to 1-1 ending the boys’ side of the Dulles of Honda Battle of Ashburn Tournament in a three way tie for first place.
Throughout the tournament only one thing really plagued the Spartans: free throw shooting. The team shot 22 of 46 from the line, just under 48 percent. They missed 19 free throws in their loss to Stone Bridge. Connecting on just half of their misses would have made it a game in the fourth quarter, and the Spartans would not have had to foul late to stop the clock. Stewart was the stand out performer for the Spartans as he averaged 22 points and four rebounds a game, while only turning the ball over three times. As long as Broad Run continues to get the ball to their excellent shooting forward, the Spartans should be able to compete in most of their upcoming games.
Hindered in their efforts by turnovers, Stone Bridge turned the ball over a tournament high 39 times in just two games. Yet their execution on the glass allowed them to make up for their lack of ball control. The Bulldogs grabbed 82 rebounds, 30 of the offensive variety, outrebounding the next closest team, Briar Woods, by 24 boards. Leading the effort for Stone Bridge was Allen who averaged 13 rebounds a game. Jolly, Rahman and Allen led the scoring attack for the Bulldogs. Jolly averaged 14.5 points, Rahman 12.5 points and Allen 8 points per game.
Stone Bridge has a very tough back half of the season schedule as they still have eight district contests against teams that are holding their opponents to under 57 points per game. For the Bulldogs to flourish after the midway point in the season, they will need to see better communication on the court. If that improves, then Stone Bridge will continue to add points, especially in the paint and will continue to challenge opponents.
Finally, if Stone Bridge wishes to play at a competitive level in the Liberty District, Allen will need to maintain his rebounding numbers in an effort to allow for more Bulldog second chance points and limit opponents to just one shot on each offensive possession.
Stone Bridge Stats
Jason Jolly 16 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 5/5 free throws, 4 assists
Emad Rahman 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/7 free throws
Nick Barnes 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4/4 free throws
Jimmy Higgins 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3/5 free throws, 2 assists
Jon Allen 11 points, 16 rebounds, 7/10 free throws
Norman Barnes 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
Jack Gallagher 2 points
John Bohanon 5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Cameron Reynolds 2 rebounds
Hunter Tice 1 rebound
Anthony Kelly 1 rebound, 1 assist
SBHS Totals
82 points, 52 rebounds, 22 turnovers, 8 steals, 1 blocked shot, 23/31 free throws, 7 assists
Broad Run Stats
Bryce Humphrey 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3/8 free throws, 1 assist
Brady Reitzel 5 points, 1 rebound, 3/4 free throws
Dorian Jenkins 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1/5 free throws, 1 assist
Tyler Ellington 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2/3 free throws
Bryant Locke 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals, 2/4 free throws, 1 assist
Mitch Pittman 5 points, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, 1/2 free throws, 2 assists
Khiorie Stewart 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 3/5 free throws, 1 assist
Chris Coggins 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots, 1/2 free throws
Justin Hart 3 points Jaleel Robinson 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3/5 free throws
Michael Martinez 2 rebounds
Tyriek King 1 rebound
Connor Pittman 1 rebound
BRHS Totals
66 points, 26 rebounds, 14 turnovers, 9 steals, 4 blocked shots, 19/38 free throws, 6 assists
