* Rams season comes to an end in district tourney

By Dennis Atwood -- Daily Sports Correspondent

STRASBURG -- The Manassas Park Cougars and Strasburg Rams opened their second season Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the Bull Run District Tournament.

The Rams had beaten the Cougars in both head-to-head matches in the regular season.

But the third time was not a charm for Strasburg, as the Cougars picked a superb time to win their first district game of the season, and reversed the score from their Jan. 31 overtime loss to the Rams, coming out on top 45-40.

Manassas Park (1-8, 5-14) overcame being short-rostered, with only eight players available, by getting better inside opportunities and out-rebounding the Rams 21-12, and doing better on turnovers.

Senior guard Jake Miller was out with a separated shoulder and junior front-liner Delvon Lukyamuzi had a sprained ankle for the Cougars.

"We rebound well," Manassas Park head coach Verdell Robinson said. "Brandon [Livingston, seven boards] does a great job on the boards and [Desmond] McDonald did a bit more. We talked to the guys before the game, looked at stats from district play, and told them what they were lacking, what they had not done, and what it would take to step up their game, and they did it tonight.

"We emphasized team play and they really showed that tonight, with role players and no superstars."

Strasburg's only lead was the first 1:30 of the game as Kaleb McKelvey hit a 3-pointer.

The Cougars gained the lead on a Desmond McDonald layup and a 3 by Donald Farmer at the 6:35 mark and built their advantage to as much as 13 points in the third quarter, as the Rams didn't score in that frame until Jamar Crawford hit a 3-pointer at 3:20 mark.

Farmer also hit the Cougars' last long-ranger, with 1:55 remaining on the game clock, scooping up a loose ball in the left corner, plunging a dagger in the Rams' come-back try, putting Manassas Park up 40-33, after Strasburg had closed to within four.

Farmer scored a game-high 17 points, and in the last two minutes of the game hit 4-of-6 from the charity stripe to frustrate the Rams' comeback effort.

"It was a hard-fought game," Farmer said. "We just kept playing our game like we practiced all week. Coach Robinson had us well prepared, we knew what we had to go, and we want to go to the regionals."

Leland Love led the Rams (10-13) with 14 points, notching 6-of-8 on field goals and 2-of-3 from the line.

"I just think they worked harder and, defensively, we could have played a lot better," Love said. "We could have done better moving the ball around, passing to the open spot."

"You play somebody three times, and it's tough," Strasburg head coach Millson French said. "And we really played poorly, turning the ball over in situations where there really wasn't any pressure. We just threw the ball away and we were out of synch."

The Cougars' celebration might be dampened by the fact that they will now face the unbeaten and top-ranked Group A team in the state, the Madison County Mountaineers, in the semifinals on Wednesday.