James Wood Girls Roll Over Liberty, 65-45

Posted: January 23, 2015
By ALLEN BRIDGE
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Riding an impressive three-game winning streak, the James Wood girls’ basketball team looked to continue its momentum against the Liberty Eagles at home Thursday evening.

With perhaps the biggest game of the season coming up today against rival and Northwestern District leader Millbrook, James Wood coach Krista Crites knew how crucial it was to not overlook the Eagles.

The Colonels executed the fundamentals on both sides of the ball to near perfection, worked the ball around on offense, crashed the boards and used a hot-shooting first half to secure a 65-45 win in Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

“I thought we shot the ball much better tonight,” Crites said. “Our ball movement was amazing, probably the best we’ve had all year. Rebounding was very good against a much bigger team so overall I am pleased with how we did.”

After a slow start that saw the Eagles jump out to a quick 9-4 lead, James Wood (11-3) picked up the pace offensively late in the first quarter behind two 3-pointers by junior Keiana Brooks and never looked back.

The Colonels worked the ball around well, with each player barely holding onto it for more than two seconds, and were able to find easy layups and hit wide-open jump shots.

“We moved the ball well offensively and my team did a good job of knocking down their shots,” said senior guard Dani Rizzari. “I didn’t have very many open shots but everyone else was able to pick it up offensively tonight.”

Rizzari helped set the tempo for the Colonel offense as she seemed to always find the open teammate on her way to a game-high 15 assists to go along with 10 points.

“Danielle is a hustler and she works hard,” Crites said. “She’s always working and as a result she’s a great player and a great leader on this team. She stepped up when we really needed her to and I’m proud of her performance tonight.”

James Wood held a slim 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but quickly stretched that lead out to double-digits in the second quarter thanks to 50-percent shooting in the first half.

Despite the size advantage of Liberty (9-4), the Colonels controlled the rebounding battle significantly with a 33-17 advantage and were able to cash in on their second-chance opportunities.

“We got outhustled to the ball, plain and simple,” said Liberty coach Ryan Washington. “Anytime you give a team a second chance at a shot, it’s going to hurt you. James Wood beat us to every ball and that’s offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. Our girls didn’t want it bad enough.”

Holding onto a 13-point lead at the half, the Colonels didn’t miss a beat in the third quarter as they continuing their hot shooting.

James Wood forced the Eagles into tough, contested shots, while continuing its impressive ball movement to find easy shots inside and building on the rebound advantage.

Brooks (game-high 22 points) and senior Sarah Johnson helped pace the James Wood offense, combining for 12 of the Colonels’ 19 points in the third quarter as James Wood extended its lead to as much as 24. Johnson, like her teammate Rizzari, recorded a double-double of her own with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

“We had three girls score in double figures tonight, which I was pretty impressed with,” Crites said. “We had a lot of open shots from the ball movement and we were able to hit them tonight.”

Liberty would not go away in the fourth quarter though, as it continued to fight and chip away at the James Wood lead. The Eagles went on a 8-0 run early in the quarter to bring the Colonel lead back down to 12, forcing a timeout from Crites and the insertion of her starters back in to the game.

“The girls decided they wanted to play defense in the fourth quarter,” Washington said. “When they decided to play defense we were able to get some contested shots and make a run.”

After the starters for the Colonels came back into the game, they went on an 8-0 run of their own to push the lead back to 20 and effectively end the game. The Colonels finished the game shooting 52 percent from the field and assisting on 22 of their 27 made baskets.