Game of the Week: Woodgrove Vs. Briar Woods

Neam Baattai January 5, 2024 @ 11:18 PM

I had Woodgrove Vs. Briar Woods circled on my calendar for a while, and this game did not disappoint. These two undefeated teams are two of the best public schools in NOVA. The energy was amazing, and the game was super competitive. It was low-scoring and sometimes a little sloppy, but it was still one of my favorite games of the early season.   The first quarter saw Woodgrove get off to a hot start. They dominated Briar Woods on the glass early, and honestly, Briar was fortunate to only be down six at the end of the quarter. Woodgrove missed a lot of open shots that they usually knock down. The one exception to that was sharpshooting Junior Valerie Blankenship. She knocked down 2 threes early in the quarter and almost outscored Briar herself.   The second quarter was more of the same, with Woodgrove asserting themselves on the glass. Woodgrove's half-court defense was fantastic, and they did a great job on [player_tooltip player_id='238886' first='Hope' last='Drake']. Hope really didn't get an opportunity to play 1 one 1 in the post, and they didn't allow her much space to get off open looks from 3. Valerie Blankenship did more good work this quarter, finishing the half with 13 of Woodgrove's 25 points. Valerie is a pure shooter with great range, and she is a perfect fit for what Woodgrove does. If not for foul trouble, she would have a bigger night scoring.   The third quarter was all Briar Woods. They went on a run early, and a huge and 1 by [player_tooltip player_id='260955' first='Tia' last='Chen'] cut the lead to 1. Woodgrove did a good job containing Tia, but her ball handling and poise were big to Briar Woods going on such a big run this quarter. Tia is a great ball handler and is an aggressive driver. What she does for Briar Woods sometimes can't be quantified by stats. But if you watch her, you can quickly tell her impact is undeniable. After this big quarter from Briar Woods, the Woodgrove lead was cut to just one.   The 4th quarter was super competitive, but [player_tooltip player_id='332117' first='Angelina' last='Nice'], along with the Woodgrove defense, took over the final period of this game. They kept their dominance on the offensive glass and held Briar to 6 points in the 4th quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='864029' first='Giuliana' last='Bohmer'] knocked down a three late in the quarter, cutting the Woodgrove lead to 6. Giuliana had a solid game and knocked down 2 threes. She finished with 10 points, second behind a team-leading 11 from [player_tooltip player_id='238886' first='Hope' last='Drake']. I mentioned [player_tooltip player_id='332117' first='Angelina' last='Nice'] had a nice close to this game, which does not surprise me. Angelina is a big-time player, and she made her presence felt towards the end of the game. She is one of my favorite players to watch because of her versatility and energy. She is a 6'0 combo guard who can give you good minutes playing multiple positions. She was great on the offensive glass and finished with 13.   There was so much talent on the floor for both teams, and this was an absolute treat to watch. The Briar Woods crowd was one of the year's better ones, and this was a great measuring stick for both of these outstanding teams.

I had Woodgrove Vs. Briar Woods circled on my calendar for a while, and this game did not disappoint. These two undefeated teams are two of the best public schools in NOVA. The energy was amazing, and the game was super competitive. It was low-scoring and sometimes a little sloppy, but it was still one of my favorite games of the early season.