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Tiger girls heading to states
Tears magnified Aly Jacobson’s eyes as she stood on her team’s home court sidelines last Thursday.“I've waited four years for this,” the senior said.
In what was an emotional roller coaster for fans and players alike, the Brentsville District varsity girls’ basketball team secured its first-ever berth in a state tournament, as the Tigers held on to beat Freedom (South Riding) 52-51 in the Northwest Regional semi-finals.
Despite losing the championship 43-39 that following Saturday to Charlottesville, Brentsville (21-5) had made it to the final round of regions and was therefore granted a trip to states.
“They didn’t fold,” said Tiger Coach Eugene Baltimore after his team’s win over Freedom in Nokesville. “The girls dug in.”
Freedom came back from a 48-39 deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 51-48 lead with about two minutes left in regulation.
The 12-0 run came in large part because of the Eagles’ full-court press, which ravaged the Tiger offense.
“Well, our coaches always told us, in the fourth quarter, that’s when we take it to teams,” said Freedom center Kelsey Buchanan. “We don’t normally press in the opening quarters.”
Eagle Diona Scott chalked up two steals from Jacobson and returned to the hoop for successful field goals and free throws. Freedom then salvaged its first second-half lead with 3:20 on the clock, thanks to an Aliecen Heinrich bucket.
After another Freedom hoop, Brentsville’s Kimmy Hopkins showed why she was the Northwestern District player of the year.
She stripped the ball from Porter and drove coast-to-coast for a layup, pulling the Tigers back within one point with 46.3 seconds remaining.
“I don’t even know, it just came to me,” Hopkins said of her steal.
The senior guard-forward said she then thought, “We've got to kick it up; we can’t let them come back.”
A miss from Heinrich and a rebound from Jacobson gave the Tigers an opportunity to take one more lead.
Jacobson dished the ball to Hopkins, who once again drove to the basket and drilled her shot.
“If you rebound, hold it just like this!” Coach Baltimore barked to his players during the ensuing timeout as he wrapped his forearms together.
As the game clock dwindled, attempted game-breaking buckets by the Eagles twirled off the rim. A swarm of Eagles and Tigers met under the basket the second time, and the ball went out of bounds without ever hitting the floor.
“Well, I thought that she was going to hit it, but it just rolled off,” said Buchanan of Scott’s shot. “And then, I went to get the rebound, but there [were] just too many people.”
When the referee signaled that the Tigers had possession, the Brentsville fans erupted in screams.
Tiger Ali Ruotolo’s inbound pass was secured by teammate Chelsie Tooke with 2.7 seconds left in regulation, though the guard was knocked off her feet 1.6 seconds later because of a Freedom foul.
The hit did not faze Tooke, easily one of the shortest players on the court.
“I wasn’t even thinking about that,” she said. “I was just holding on to the ball.”
Ruotolo then lobbed her next inbounds pass over half court to point guard Keyla Baltimore, who held on long enough for the buzzer to sound and the home team fans to rush the court.
“I cannot put it into words. It’s unbelievable,” Eugene Baltimore said of clinching the trip to states. Several of his players echoed that refrain.
Offensively, the victory came due to a clutch performance by Hopkins and a strong outside game.
Hopkins, the back-to-back Northwestern District Player of the Year, was the only Tiger in double figures by the end of the night.
She had gone on a 6-0 drive of her own toward the end of the second quarter on three straight deuces, which came after she drained a 3-pointer.
Ruotolo, Aly Jacobson and her sophomore sister Kelly, celebrating her 15th birthday that night, each hit one triple in the game, while Tooke sank three of them, including two momentum-grabbing shots early in the fourth quarter.
“That was big,” said Coach Baltimore. “Chelsie’s a very good 3-point shooter. She’s got a green light on that.”
Tooke was open along the baseline near the Tigers’ bench both times after Keyla Baltimore drew triple-cover during drives to the basket. She then kicked the ball out to Tooke, who swished both shots.
“We knew we had it. We worked for this,” said Kelly Jacobson, later adding, “It’s the best birthday ever.”
Thanks Dan Roem and G'ville staff for great support of BDHS basketball this year! It means so much to the girls that you cover their games!
(A small correction on this article and photo though: the photo is of fellow freshman varsity players, Kelsey Taylor and Kelly Jacobson.)
Posted by tjacobson0702
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