District Title Game Standouts: Concorde and Liberty Districts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were two highly competitive, defensive-oriented battles in district titles in NOVA on Friday. Here are the players that stood out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Langley uses a big 3rd quarter to win the Liberty District.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1201271"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-699a85b856f25"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1201271' first='Mariah' last='Armah'] was the best player on the court on both ends. Langley often fronted Washington-Liberty star Center [player_tooltip player_id='882581' first='Eve' last='Jungman'] and used Mariah as a sort of roamer off-ball to intercept passes coming over the top. Her instincts, athleticism, and effort were super disruptive to Washington-Liberty's offense. Mariah has outstanding hands, and she had an emphatic block on a defensive rotation that really impressed. On offense, she knocked down multiple threes and created for herself in the mid-range, hitting some difficult shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["882581"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-699a85b856f85"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As I said earlier, Langley had a big focus on making things difficult for [player_tooltip player_id='882581' first='Eve' last='Jungman'], and in the first half, they did a very good job at that. I felt Washington-Liberty tried to force the ball into Eve deep in the post, and it resulted in a handful of turnovers. The adjustment that was made was that she started catching the ball higher up and driving to the rim. Her size was used really effectively there, and she hit a handful of short mid-range shots over smaller defenders. She got on the offensive glass, and she had a handful of nice moves and finishes that showed off her touch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oakton needs an extra frame to win the Concorde district against Centreville in a low-scoring affair.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["876808"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-699a85b856fcd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='876808' first='Sophie' last='Toole'] put in a great all-around performance for Oakton. Sophie was really good at getting downhill and making a play as both a finisher and passer. Sophie was really good rebounding, and her POA defense was outstanding. Sophie had the game-winning stop guarding [player_tooltip player_id='376338' first='Aliza' last='Murray'], where she was able to get her hands on her crossover and force a held ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1220032"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-699a85b85700f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The championship game was the third match-up between these two teams this season, and my takeaway from every game is that Centreville does not have an answer for [player_tooltip player_id='1220032' first='Jocelynn' last='Kinlaw']. Her activity on the glass gives Centreville a world of problems. Jocelynn missed a handful of shots at the rim, but her relentlessness in getting offensive rebounds more than made up for that. She hit a mid-range jumper, and that is something that's a nice part of her game. She had the go-ahead and 1 bucket that were the only points in overtime with about 20 seconds left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["376338"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-699a85b85704c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Star guard [player_tooltip player_id='433880' first='Malia' last='Siriwardene'] was pretty much shut down by Oakton's defense. That forced the other Centreville star guard, [player_tooltip player_id='376338' first='Aliza' last='Murray'], to step up her game, and that's what she did. Aliza hit a number of threes with deep range and was the only player consistently creating looks for both herself and her team. She had a few nice mid ranges, one of them being an and 1 that forced this game into overtime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->