Recommend This StoryTwo steps back: Visiting Dragons cool off streaking Falcons
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By Brad Fauber - sports@nvdaily.com
WOODSTOCK -- Central came into Tuesday's game against Bull Run District foe William Monroe red hot and riding a six-game winning streak.
The streak included a victory over district leader George Mason on the road last week, the Mustangs' first district loss in four years, and the Falcons had another opportunity on Tuesday to knock off another of the district's elite in William Monroe.
But the Central team that took the floor on Tuesday looked very little like the team that had reeled off six consecutive victories, and the result was a 62-55 loss to the second-place Dragons.
"We took one step forward against George Mason, but we took two steps back [tonight]," said Central sophomore Brenna Cook.
"We planned to get after them and do the things we've been doing, but we took a couple steps backwards tonight," echoed Falcons coach Stephanie Cooper.
Central struggled to contain the Dragons' inside game from the opening tip as William Monroe senior Alexa Smith set the tone early when she knocked down a bucket in the paint while drawing a foul. Her free throw gave the Dragons a quick 3-0 lead 30 seconds into the game.
William Monroe (14-6, 11-1) attempted just five shots from beyond the 3-point arc for the game and was more than content with working the ball inside to its post players.
Smith and fellow forward Alex Cave led the Dragons' attack, finishing with 19 and 16 points, respectively.
"That was our game plan, we wanted to get the ball inside," Dragons coach Phillip Lamb said. "It is a strength for us and we have to make sure that we focus on that first."
Central (10-10, 8-4 Bull Run) was dominated on the boards in the first half, as William Monroe used its height advantage to pull down rebounds left and right.
The Dragons tallied 12 second-chance points in the first half, often having three or four opportunities to put the ball through the hoop. Central had just two second-chance points in the game's first two periods.
"I think we might have had 10 or 11 rebounds in the first half," Cooper said. "We did not do a very good job of rebounding at all tonight. We got killed on the boards and I think that was the difference in the game."
With Central trailing 29-23 to start the third period, Falcons senior Rebecca Sigler scored five points on a pair of putbacks and a free throw, and Cook (17 points) hit a trey during a run that pulled the Falcons to within two with 5:54 left in the quarter.
Sophomore Katelyn Poston, who led all scorers with 20 points, hit a 3-pointer later in the frame to make the score 35-34 in favor of the Dragons, but William Monroe ended the period on an 11-6 run and took a six-point lead into the final quarter.
The Dragons extended the lead to 54-46 on a basket inside by Smith with 3:20 to play, but the Falcons battled back to cut the lead to three points with 40 seconds remaining.
Cave sealed the Dragons' victory by converting six of seven free throws during the game's final minute.
The Falcons currently hold third place with two district games remaining. Central hosts Rappahannock County on Friday before ending the season with a road test against rival Strasburg next Monday.
"We've got to bounce back and do things the way we're supposed to do them," Cooper said. "It doesn't matter who play, what we do shouldn't change. We should still box out, we should still rebound, still play harder than the other team -- that's what we've got to do."
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