It took a bit, but once the Oakton Cougars “calmed down” they took control of the road game against their biggest neighborhood basketball rival en route to a comfortable victory.
After trailing 17-12 early in the second quarter, Oakton (15-1, 3-1) rallied to defeat the Madison Warhawks, 56-34, Friday (Jan. 24) in a Concorde District girls high-school game.
The Cougars might have been out of sorts early on, because head coach Fred Priester was not on the bench coaching the team. He missed the game because he received two technical fouls in Oakton’s previous game against Chantilly, and was ejected.
When that occurs, Virginia High School League rules prohibit a coach from participating in the team’s next game. Longtime assistant Kathleen Rose took over as the head coach against Madison (7-8, 1-3).
“I think I was more nervous than our players,” Rose told FFXnow. “Once we calmed down and got our running game going in the second quarter, we were OK.”
Behind the scoring of senior guard Brooke Chang, Oakton took the lead — and control — to close the first half on an 11-0 run, moving in front 23-17 at the break and 40-24 after three periods.
Oakton also did not turn the ball over in the second period, after having six turnovers in the first period.
Chang scored nine points in the second quarter, then 12 more in the fourth for a total of 21. She found wide-open spaces to make four three-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter.
Also for Oakton, junior guard Sophie Toole had an active game with 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore center Jocelynn Kinlaw had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, Bailey Zimmerman had three points and three boards, and Melissa Ally had three points and two steals.
“Our players made good decisions on the court, and our other coaches were great helping with adjustments,” Rose said.
Madison did not have starting forward and inside scoring threat Sara Becker, who was out due to illness. Madison coach Kirsten Stone said her absence hurt, as the Warhawks shot poorly, struggled to score and had 12 first-half turnovers.
Stone mostly credited Oakton.
“She [Chang] made some wide-open shots. Sophie Toole plays so hard and makes a lot of plays and their center [Kinlaw] gets better each year,” Stone said. “She did things she wasn’t able to do last season.”
Ava Wu led Madison with 17 points, three rebounds and two steals. Jada Ramos-Diggs battled foul trouble, scoring six points, Allison Creighton scored four and had seven rebounds, and Riley Brick scored three with eight rebounds and two steals.
NOTES: The matchup between the game’s head coaches — Stone and Rose — was interesting. The two have known each other since the third grade. In high-school they played against each other on different teams, Stone for Madison and Rose for Fairfax. The head-coaching role, even for one game, was the first for Rose in high school. “I guess I should retire now,” Rose said after the victory … Oakton’s win over Madison was its third in a row. The teams, perennial region powers, have traded winning streaks for many seasons.
