The middle day of the three-day Battle Of Ashburn—an annual round-robin basketball event in which Stone Bridge, Briar Woods and Broad Run high schools face off—rotated to Broad Run High School Wednesday night where the Spartans hosted Stone Bridge.

In the varsity opener, the Bulldogs’ girls used their superior size in the post to fashion a runaway victory. The nightcap saw the Spartans gain a measure of revenge on their neighbors as the boys rode hot shooting to a solid win.

Girls: Stone Bridge 50, Broad Run 28

The Bulldogs (8-1) ran away and hid early as the height and footwork of 5-foot-11 junior Emily Brown and 5-foot-11 sophomore Megan Della Penna proved a difficult inside matchup for the smaller Spartans (3-7).

Stone Bridge had leads of 12-6 and 24-12, maintaining a score roughly twice that of their hosts throughout.

“The last two nights are the first time we’ve played two complete games in a row,” Bulldog first-year coach Thomas Gaffney said, including his team’s 57-29 win over Briar Woods the night before.

“They’re having confidence in what they’re doing. They came out, executed, and took their time to run what we needed to run.”

Della Penna put in 12 points while gathering eight rebounds. Brown matched with 12 points of her own and brought down 11 rebounds, including five off the offensive glass.

Junior guard Nicole Prince ran the show for Stone Bridge, displaying her usual all-around skillset with 13 points and four assists—both team-highs—while keying the Bulldogs’ pressuring defense with deflections and steals.

Alyssa Cabellos’ smooth left-handed stroke netted her a team-high 12 points for Broad Run.

Boys: Broad Run 85, Stone Bridge 68

The Spartans’ outside shooting was as hot as the outside weather was cold as Connor Jessop, Nigel Johnson and Ryan McNamee took turns draining shots from beyond the arc.

Broad Run (7-3) racked up eight 3-pointers in the first half to help amass 55 points before the second half.

“This was a good team victory,” Spartan coach John Costello assessed. “Our team this year is improving, and with Nigel with the ball in his hands, we’re getting tough to beat right now.”

Nigel Johnson played with obvious swagger, showing off improved ball-handling, speed and passing tools while sizing up shots with confidence. The junior piled up most of his 29 points with a barrage of first-half 3-pointers.

“He made a real commitment to getting stronger and faster. I don’t think there’s anyone that can stay in front of him off the bounce,” Costello said. “And he sees the floor. If you’re ahead of him and he has the ball, you’re going to get it. He’s a point guard that doesn’t come around too often.”

McNamee was a force inside and out, contributing 18 points.

Stone Bridge’s own point guard named Johnson (Myles) let it be known that he has range too, making five 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 18 points.

More recognized as a Bulldog football star, Jonathan Allen was a bruiser in the paint as Stone Bridge (3-6) climbed back into contention with the Spartans. More than once Allen converted an offensive rebound into a fouled putback.

The Bulldogs managed to get within 10 of their hosts early in the fourth, but the Spartans made free throws down the stretch to triumph over their counterparts from down the road.

The final battle

The results mean Stone Bridge ends the tourney with a 2-0 girls’ record and an 0-2 boys’ mark. Broad Run’s boys are 1-0 and the girls are 0-1.

The series concludes Thursday night when the Spartans travel to the Brambleton section of Ashburn to square off with Briar Woods. The Falcon girls are 0-1 in this year’s Battle Of Ashburn, while the Falcon boys are 1-0.