The Lady Hawks of Hayfield handed Coach Pritchett and her Lady Jaguars their third loss of the season by defeating Falls Church in a closer game than the score indicated with several lead changes in the first 24 minutes. Coach Pritchett entered the opponent's court with only seven players able to play tonight. They gave her nearly all the had, which came up short in the end.

Falls Church kept the first quarter very close with a mobile and tenacious zone defense that held the normally high-scoring Hawks to four baskets. The Jaguars answered with three of their own, scored by senior Natalie Samaha, junior Amber Ecelbarger, and freshman Leah Shaw. Shaw and fellow freshman Mia Pendleton grabbed 7 first-half rebounds between them which, along with the sound zone coverage, continued to frustrate Hayfield and cut them to only 2 free throws for the entire second quarter. Ecelbarger turned a mid-court steal into a layup and followed with a step-back jumper in the second frame and Samaha equaled Hayfield's free throws with two of her own. The Jaguars led at the half for the first time this season.

The lead seesawed for most of the third quarter until the final minutes as improved shooting by the Lady Hawks and a combination of foul trouble, fatigue, and numerous turnovers committed by Falls Church allowed Hayfield to take a slight lead into the fourth quarter, build on it in the final frame, and win the game by 11 points. Seniors Brittney Barbaro and Amy Rock both lit the scoreboard for the first time this season in that final frame.

A continuously improving Falls Church defense looked very impressive tonight, but the offense turned in a third game of poor point production. Two Jaguars scored 75% of the points tonight and throughout the first three games; they certainly have room to improve and their teammates around them particularly have to contribute more baskets for the team to match the improved standard of offense established last year. The anticipated return of three-year starter Leann Loch to her center post for the next game, her first of the season, hopefully will improve the team's output and fortunes.

Scoring Summary:  Amber Ecelbarger, 11 points; Natalie Samaha, 6 points; Leah Shaw, 3 points; Brittney Barbaro, 2 points; and Amy Rock, 1 point.