In the first of their two games of the Tip-Off Tournament played at Stuart  HS, the Lady Jags dropped a close one to the Wolverines of West Potomac High School. It was an exciting game played by two opponents who delivered their blows in entirely different modes. West Po dominated underneath while Falls Church struck paydirt from the perimeter.

Freshman Amari Faust opened the scoring for Falls Church just 4 seconds into the contest, converting both of her free throws. But the Lady Wolverines counter punched with their two very big forwards and mounted a 10-2 advantage just two minutes later. Falls Church did not buckle. 2-point/3-point combinations each by sophomore Sierra Kennard and junior Leah Shaw brought Falls Church back within striking distance, 12-15 by the end of the quarter. Kennard and Shaw each landed another "3" in the second frame, and Rasha Benhamida went end to end on a fast break layup. Junior center Kim Roxborough scored her first points in a Varsity uniform on two free throws and contributed needed rebounds for the Lady Jags. Regardless, Falls Church fell a little further behind by the end of the first half, 23-30.

The Lady Jags roared out of the locker room and took control of the third quarter, ending the period just one back of West Po., and by the middle of the fourth quarter, they took their first lead since the opening seconds of the game, 45-44. The Dynamic Duo of Leah Shaw and Sierra Kennard showed both teams and the crowd exactly why these underclassmen made last season's All Conference Team. Both players were red hot as they landed well over 50% of their attempts. They matched each other point for point, each of them with three 2-point shots for the game, and each with four outstanding 3-pointers. But the Wolverines did not fold; they finished the game running precious seconds off the clock, took advantage of turnovers, and used their dominant size to grab enough offensive rebounds to pull away by five at the final buzzer.

No shame in this loss. Coach Pritchett's team showed up and showed off what made their offense so potent at times last year -- eight 3-pointers tallied in about 20 minutes of game time this late afternoon are a very vivid reminder of that explosiveness. They also showed everyone that they are poised to make their mark on the season. They don't have long to wait; their next game is only 40 hours from the close of this one.

Scoring Summary:  Leah Shaw, 18 points; Sierra Kennard, 18 points; Rasha Benhamida, 6 points; Amari Faust, 3 points; Kim Roxborough, 2 points.