Down one point with 5.2 seconds left, the Woodgrove Wolverines hit two free throws and executed a layup off an inbounds play to earn a 63-60 boys basketball victory Jan. 13 in Ashburn, dealing Briar Woods its first AA Dulles District defeat.

Woodgrove coach Steve Douglas recognized the importance of staving off a fourth Dulles loss halfway through the district schedule.

“I told the kids, for us to play for a district championship, we need to beat Briar Woods here,” Douglas said. “They rose to the challenge.”

As the Falcons possessed the ball clinging to the slimmest possible lead, the Wolverines’ star senior Brad Gilson picked off a pass toward the sideline and took it the other way.

Going up for the open lay-in, Gilson was intentionally fouled from behind. He confidently sank two from the charity stripe to put Woodgrove (9-6, 6-3 in district play) up one.

“He told the kids with about 37 seconds left, we’re gonna win this game, we’re gonna win it,” Douglas said of Gilson, who finished with seven rebounds, four 3-pointers and a game-high 26 points. “That allowed us to keep our composure.”

Gilson’s makes were immediately followed by Andrew Traub’s open layup off Brendan Wells’ inbounds pass, pushing the lead to three as the final seconds ticked away.

Wells was the passer as Woodgrove executed several inbounds plays for close looks at the rim.

“I thought Brendan Wells has for about four games in a row done a really great job taking care of the ball and distributing,” said Douglas of Wells, who added four points.

A home game in which the Falcons (10-2, 6-1) owned the lead throughout ended in their first setback to a Dulles foe.

“It was a great game to be a part of. We just made some mental mistakes near the end,” Briar Woods coach Mike Benson said. “They’re a tough team and they made the buckets at the end but I think it was our mistakes that allowed them those opportunities.”

After the visitors jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, Briar Woods’ junior forward Matt Rolin—who had recently received a football scholarship offer from Virginia Tech—drilled a 3-pointer to ignite a Falcon run.

As Gilson sat after picking up two early fouls, Briar Woods ran off 11 straight points, keyed by the backcourt tandem of senior Correy Facciane and junior Yves Kouame. The guard pairing was called upon for primary ball-handling duties as a coach’s decision made starting point guard Myles Tate unavailable.

“Correy and Yves have been with me for four years. They know what to do and they play hard every single night,” said Benson of Facciane and Kouame, who respectively contributed 20 and 11 points against Woodgrove’s constantly changing defense.

That guard play, combined with 13 points dropped in by the Falcons’ 6-foot-6 post player Jacob Ryan, maintained a double-digit margin for Briar Woods into the final quarter.

But the visitors from Purcellville surged back into it, owing partly to their consistency at the foul line. The Wolverines missed just two of the 14 free throws they took, while the Falcons converted eight of their 17 attempts.

Woodgrove’s Josh Sweet collected his only points of the game with a late 3-pointer, followed soon by Gilson drilling one from very long range over Facciane’s defense to bring the Wolverines to within one.

“Every bucket meant something tonight,” Douglas said.

Benson downplayed the significance of one game in the perspective of a full season.

“A lot of people were making a big deal out of this game and I’m not sure why. It’s one of 22 games. We have 10 more games, all in the district,” Benson said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not sure what the big deal was, but it was a great game to be a part of.”

Both teams will have plenty of time to recover and prepare for their next challenges. The Falcons will host Tuscarora Jan. 21, the same day the Wolverines will face another test when Potomac Falls comes to visit.

Woodgrove 63, Briar Woods 60

W: Gilson 26, Moore 12, Danielson 7, Coil 6, Traub 5, Wells 4, Sweet 3

BW: Facciane 20, Ryan 13, Kouame 11, Rolin 7, Galang 6, Carlisle 3

Halftime: Briar Woods, 25-22

3-pointers: W 9 (Gilson 4, Moore 2, Danielson, Sweet, Traub); BW 6 (Facciane 4, Kouame, Rolin)

Free throws: Woodgrove (12 of 14); Briar Woods (8 of 17)