By Kyle Gotimer
LoCoSports Managing Editor
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Purcellville (February 2, 2015) – In Purcellville, when the Wolverines and the Vikings meet, the town comes together to support their families, school and their sports teams; that’s exactly what happened on Jan. 31 when the Woodgrove High School and Loudoun Valley High School boys and girls basketball teams met to compete in round two of the Battle for Purcellville in a Saturday night doubleheader. The Lady Wolverines defeated the Lady Vikings 47-35. In the boys edition, the Vikings defeated the Wolverines 78-67.
Lady Wolverines split #BattleForPVille series with Lady Vikes
“The difference tonight was offensively we actually ran an offense; we shot much better, we didn’t shoot unbelievably well, but last time we shot horribly,” Woodgrove head coach Kevin Copley said. “Tonight we ran our offense much better, we took better shots, we played a little bit better defense, but overall I think it was offensively we just put the ball in the hole like we can.”
Seeking vengeance after their home loss to Loudoun Valley two weeks prior, the Lady Wolverines played a strong offensive game led by senior guard Brooke Basinger and junior forward Hallie Daughtry. Basinger and Daughtry combined for 25 points and reeled in a combined 7 rebounds earning them each three star honors.
“I just tried to lead the team in the best way possible and help to encourage the girls to make smart passes and do the right plays that have been designed by our coaches,” Basinger said.
Locked at 10-10 after the first quarter, the Lady Wolverines broke out offensively outscoring their opponent 14-7 in the second quarter giving them a 24-17 lead headed into the locker room for their halftime talk.
“Their crowd is crazy, they help the Valley team out a lot though, so that’s great support for their team,” Basinger said. “It’s very exciting to play especially my senior year, last game against them. I’m glad we got the win tonight but it’s really exciting to play them.”
Despite strong scoring efforts from Loudoun Valley junior guard Lindsey Sweet and senior guard Kirsten Graves — combining for 32 of the 35 Viking points — Woodgrove redeemed themselves and won the Battle for Purcellville with their 47-35 victory.
“I think there is pressure the whole game cause it is a rivalry game, and we’re both pretty good teams. I think both teams played well; at the end we had the lead, we were patient and ran our offense, got good shots. They were coming from behind; that’s tough. We were in that position last time,” Copley said.
Viking boys sweep season series
Like the Lady Wolverines, the Wolverine boys were looking for revenge against their crosstown rival Vikings after a Battle for Purcellville round one loss on Jan. 15.
The Loudoun Valley Vikings, however, swept the Battle for Purcellville series with their 78-67 win over the Woodgrove Wolverines.
“[Ball]’s just getting better and better and he’s only a sophomore. He’s been out the last two years with injury so he didn’t get much sub-varsity work and he’s just capable,” Loudoun Valley head coach Chad Dawson said. “He’s been dominating in our camps since he was in the second grade. I remember him coming to our camps in the summer time and he’s starting to play like that now, and I think he’s capable of playing even better.”
The Vikings came out shooting, seizing a 12-0 lead to start the first quarter. Led by sophomore guard Nick Ball — who scored 16 points in the rivalry game two weeks earlier — the Viking offense scored a monster 78 points.
“Woodgrove is always a big rivalry so we always come out fired up ready to play. It’s fun to play against them, and it’s always fun to win,” Ball said. “I think we have great off the court and on the court chemistry and that always helps. We talk a lot, we hustle, our coach stresses to play as hard as possible.”
While Ball scored 17 points in this meeting — earning him a three star honor — the Loudoun Valley guards focused on pushing the ball into the paint to senior forwards Jason Yoxthimer and Robert Fox and junior forward Trey McDyre, giving them a chance to scored combined 34 points — the bulk of the scoring. McDyre earned a three star honor with his 9 point, 7 rebound performance.
“Robert [Fox] is an assassin when it comes to shooting the basketball. He plays well enough to be a starter, and we’ve talked to him about that, but I think he’s comfortable in his role,” Dawson said. “He’s just able to put the ball in the hole.”
A non-starter, Fox lit up the inside scoring with 13 points off the bench. Complemented by Yoxthimer and McDyre the Viking forwards were dominant in this matchup leading their team to the 78-67 victory.
“Being a rivalry game, these kids always get pumped up about it,” Dawson said. “I think especially after last night, we had a big let down, and I think they were disappointed in their effort. They came out super charged tonight and that was a great way to start the game.”
Kyle Gotimer is a sophomore at Heritage High School in Leesburg. Follow LoCoSports on Twitter (@LoCoSports) for up-to-date news and scores from around Loudoun County.
Woodgrove Lady Wolverines Stats
Brooke Basinger 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-for-6 free throws
Hallie Daughtry 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-for-3 free throws
Kylee Miller 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1-for-2 free throws
Camryn Fagan 7 points, 1 steal, 1 assist, 7-for-8 free throws
Jordan Wick 3 points, 2 rebounds
Puneet Kaur 2 points, 3 rebounds, 0-for-1 free throws
Jess Hornyak 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
Kaleigh Owen 1 assist
WGHS Totals
47 points, 22 rebounds, 6 turnovers, 2 steals, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot, 14-for-20 free throws
Loudoun Valley Lady Vikings Stats
Lindsey Sweet 17 points
Kirsten Graves 15 points, 1 rebound, 11-for-13 free throws
Kailey Liverman 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 0-for-1 free throws
Mar Keane 1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-for-2 free throws
Rachel Bowyer 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots, 2 assists
Caroline McDonald 1 rebound, 2 assists
Alex Van Zandt 1 rebound
LVHS Totals
35 points, 17 rebounds, 6 turnovers, 1 steal, 5 assists, 3 blocked shots, 12-for-16 free throws
Loudoun Valley Vikings Stats
Nick Ball 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 6 assists, 5-for-6 free throws
Robert Fox 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3-for-4 free throws
Jason Yoxthimer 12 points, 4 rebounds, 0-for-1 free throw
Jalen Williams 10 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-for-3 free throws
Trey McDyre 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 5-for-8 free throws
Jordon Miller 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Matt Eberhart 5 points
Jamir Degree 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 assists
Malcolm Miller 2 points, 1 rebound
Grant Frazier 1 steal
LVHS Totals
78 points, 31 rebounds, 7 turnovers, 3 steals, 18 assists, 1 blocked shot, 16-for-22 free throws
Woodgrove Wolverines Stats
Carl Huber 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 2-for-4 free throws
Davie Wick 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2-for-2 free throws
Matt Gilson 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Kevin Hernandez 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Jameson Copeland 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 blocked shot, 5 assists
Prakash Ellis 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocked shots, 2 assists
Ryan Vacca 5 points, 3 rebounds
Anthony Williams 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist
Zach Lockhart 1 rebound, 1 steal
Drew Washington 1 assist
WGHS Totals
67 points, 25 rebounds, 10 turnovers, 5 steals, 16 assists, 4 blocked shots, 6-for-16 free throws
