Freshmen Girls Ground the Eagles

            As the final buzzer went off Friday night, smiles broke out across the faces of the players and coaches, as the Falls Church Girls Freshmen team (4-2) defeated Thomas Edison 30-11: the team’s third win in a row. In a game that was competitive throughout the first half, and featured well-balanced scoring, one could argue it was the team’s best performance yet.

            Ava Willis led the way with 12 points for Falls Church, 10 of which came in the second half as part of a 23-5 run to close the game. The teams traded early baskets, and the Jaguars took a 7-6 lead into halftime. Despite the close score, the aura of confidence in the halftime locker room was unmistakable.

            “Edison played us really tight in the first half,” said Assistant Coach Daniel Frank. “Their 1-3-1 defense was causing all sorts of problems for us, but the leadership by our girls in the locker room really gave us a boost.”

            The Jaguars came out of halftime with their tails on fire, scoring 11 3^rd quarter points while holding Edison to just 3.

            “What pleased me most in the second half was how our girls handled their swarming defense,” said Frank. “Edison threw a lot of different things at us, but I thought we did a good job of staying under control.”

            “I feel that our girls are doing a great job playing together as a team,” said Head Coach Sharon Frank. “Whether in the game or on the bench, everyone has a very important role on this team, and I think everyone did their job well.”

            Falls Church had 6 different scorers, a season high for the team. Katie Ngo had 7 points while Kimberly Roxbrough had 5 points, and Thu Hoang, Karina Miller and Claire Joseph added 2 points each.

           The Jaguars now play four straight road games starting with Wakefield on Tuesday, followed by Edison, Mt. Vernon and Briar Woods.

          “I think the most important thing for us moving forward is to continue to play with confidence,” said Daniel Frank. “If we play with confidence and play our game, we can compete with anyone on our schedule.”