Picture a 20-9 lead right out the gate for a team as powerful as Stonewall Jackson.

Kyani White sank four 3-pointers right off the bat for the Raiders as they faced off against arch-nemesis Forest Park in the Northwest Regional championship Saturday night in Woodbridge. The junior guard had just earned Player of the Year honors in the Cedar Run District and her father, head coach Nsonji, was declared the Coach of the Year.

And she was getting a little help from her friends too. Samantha Jordan had 10 points by half time and Brianna Terry added on another five.

All of that coupled with the high-speed, ever-present and ever-pressing Stonewall defense given a cushion from which to operate, everything was lining up just right for a Raider blowout.

What a blowout it became indeed.

For the Bruins.

Danni Jackson erupted offensively in the second quarter, draining three 3-pointers and adding on another two in the second half en route to scoring 39 points as the Bruins came back to wallop the Raiders 75-56 for the regional crown.

"Danielle Jackson is probably one of the single best players I've ever seen," said Nsonji White of the George Washington University-bound senior guard. "And I've played against some hum-dingers, you understand that?"

Stonewall sent Jackson to the line for 14 foul shots in the last two quarters alone, where she hit 10 free throws. Meanwhile, FP's Shayla Drakeford managed to figure out how to defensively contain White from the second quarter onward as she was held scoreless in the second and third quarters while most of her fourth quarter points came when the game was already out of reach for the Raiders.

"So we did a quick switch up," said Bruins coach Rebecca Tillett as she explained why she put Jackson on White for a bit so Drakeford could recover. "And I think that's where a little bit of momentum changed."

The switch caught the visiting Raiders a bit flat-footed and, trailing 39-34 at halftime, Stonewall had fallen flat.

"We didn't come out as fast and hard," said Jordan of the team’s second-half performance.

That momentum change started in earnest for the Bruins at the start of the fourth quarter. Jackson scooped up a steal and took a hard foul at the hoop, sending her to the line for two shots. While she only made one of them, it helped Forest Park regain a 10-point advantage at 54-44, which Forest Park would not relent.

"I think our defense in the second half was, the rotations were on," said Tillett. "Everyone was where they needed to be defensively and we were fresh."

Within three minutes, the Bruins extended that lead to 20 points as part of an 11-0 run, forcing Nsonji White to call a timeout.

The Raiders then attempted to turn things around, but it was just too late. A 3-pointer by Kyani White (24 points) followed by a Forest Park turnover seemed like a nice catalyst for SJ, and if there's any local team that could piece together a 15-0 run, it's Stonewall Jackson.

But Forest Park (20-4), which finished second in the state last season, is not one of the run-of-the-mill Cedar Run District team Stonewall racked up most of its wins against. White and Jackson traded foul shots and Forest Park began playing keep-away offensively, effectively ending the game before the buzzer even sounded.

"What do we do to correct it? If we don't play with intensity and we don't have players compete, there won't be a [state] finals," said Nsonji White.