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Schools

Lady Vikings Place Seventh In Holiday Tournament; Men's Place Sixth

Both teams walk away with one tournament victory.

Though only playing for bragging rights, after losing to James Monroe then C.D. Hylton in the first and second rounds of the Apple Federal Credit Union 2nd Annual Winter Classic, Woodbridge women's basketball put together a first-quarter performance solid enough to carry them to a 32-15 victory over John Paul the Great, placing seventh in the tournament.

The win was a much needed morale boost for a young Vikings team that has struggled this year with consistent shooting and team chemistry. Only two varsity players returned from last years team; Woodbridge (3-8, 0-4) lost six seniors and have no returning starters.

“It's not that we don't have the talent, we're just real young,” said first year head coach Tamika Dudley. “[Our strength] is the same as our weakness; we have a ton of potential and a great freshman post player [Maegan Mikkelson] who's giving us a lot of minutes. We have a lot of expectations for her.”

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Mikkelson, who also played volleyball in the fall, was dominant in the post against John Paul seniors Audrey Roper and Kelly Ross. Mikkelson scored the first points of the game with a turnaround 3-foot jumper that began an 8-0 Vikings run, and she finished with a game-high 13 points; she shot 71 percent from the free-throw line.

“I like basketball better,” said Mikkelson. “I feel like I'm better at volleyball, but basketball gives me a challenge—makes me feel like I have something to strive for.”

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Woodbridge kept John Paul scoreless for the first four minutes until Ross hit a 7-foot jumper. The Vikings then went on a 7-0 run to lead by 13 points after the first quarter.

Woodbridge's second-quarter offensive effort was not so skillful—having scored only four points—however, the team's defensive prowess was masterful. The Vikings forced six turnovers and again only allowed the Wolves two points. Woodbridge seniors Nahsheona Moore and Sara Urquia both had two steals. Surprisingly, with as many turnovers as the Vikings forced throughout the game (a total of 12), John Paul only visited the free-throw line three times; Woodbridge went to the line 13 times and only turned the ball over four times.

“She's aggressive and plays tough defense,” said Dudley about Urquia. “She does everything that we ask her to do. She plays within her means—doesn't try to do too much—she does her job, and she does it well.”

With the first half of the season on record, the Vikings next play eight straight district games, which will all be crucial in returning to the tradition of basketball that Dudley is accustomed to.

“I graduated from Woodbridge in 1999 and we were always in the state tournament,” said Dudley. “But, it's been a while, maybe six years or more, since we've been back to a regional or state tournament.”

 

Men's basketball

The Vikings placed sixth in the Glory Days Grill Tournament of Champions hosted by Lake Braddock last week. After losing in the opening round to Madison, Woodbridge defeated Hayfield in the consolation semifinal, then lost to Robinson in the final round. In the last few games, head coach Brian Hooker has varied his defense from a straight man-to-man to sprinkles of a full-court trap. The trap defense allowed the Vikings to jump out to a 6-0 lead against Hayfield.

“Before the game I said, 'Let's just go out and just focus on the first quarter,'” said Hooker after defeating Hayfield. “I said, 'Go play hard for eight minutes and let's win this first quarter; we'll worry about the second quarter when it gets here.' That's what's been killing us lately: the starts to our games. We had a much better start to the game tonight.”

Tournament stats

Tre Jones: 39 points; Darius Parson: 29 points; Kenny McKnight: 23 points.

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