Woodgrove High School limited Loudoun County to just six made field goals on its way to a 38-22 victory in the Region II Division 4 girls basketball championship game Feb. 23 in Purcellville.

The Wolverines defeated the Raiders for the fourth time this season to claim their first-ever region championship. Both teams will advance to the VHSL Division 4 state tournament as region finalists.

"Defense is what we are known for," Woodgrove coach Kevin Copley said. "To hold a team like Loudoun County to 22 points is pretty good. We didn't play great offensively but my hats off to Loudoun County. They were a big part of that."

Woodgrove (25-3) maintained a four-to-eight point lead for a majority of the game before pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Senior Sarah Hardison led all scorers with 12 points. Sophomore Brooke Basinger drained three shots from 3-point range and finished with 11 points. Senior Stephanie Purnell - recently voted the Region II Player of the Year - added eight points.

The Raiders (23-5) outscored the host Wolverines 7-2 to open the second half and pulled within 17-16 on junior Maggie Phillips' 3-pointer. The Wolverines responded by scoring the final five points of the third quarter.

Phillips paced Loudoun County with nine points, while freshman Alyssa Paige scored eight. Despite their offensive struggles, the Raiders remained in contention behind their strong defense and connecting on 9 of 13 from the foul line.

Both teams will look to fine tune with a full week of practice leading up to the March 2 state quarterfinal round. Woodgrove will play Courtland at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, and Loudoun County will face Grafton at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.


Woodgrove 38, Loudoun County 22

LC: Phillips 9, Paige 8, Knox 2, Kushner 2, Gillis 1

W: Hardison 12, Brooke Basinger 11, Purnell 8, Brittany Basinger 2, Lorinchak 2, Lynch 2, Buxton 1

Halftime: Woodgrove, 15-9

3-pointers: W 3 (Brooke Basinger 3); LC 1 (Phillips)

Free throws: LC (9 of 13); W (11 of 18)


-All photos by Doug Stroud