Purcellville (December 26, 2012) – A combination of excellent rebounding, stellar 3-point shooting and an advantage at the foul line helped undefeated Loudoun Valley High School rally past Heritage Friday night, 61-54, in a highly anticipated Dulles District game. The Vikings’ (6-0, 9-0) timely scoring came in the second half as they outscored the Pride (4-3, 8-3) 32-22 after trailing 32-29 at the half.

Led by junior Paul Rowley (21 points, 9 rebounds) and senior Josh Grimard (17 points, 8 rebounds), Loudoun Valley dominated the offensive boards in the first half scoring on four second chance opportunities early, while limiting Heritage to only six total offensive rebounds on the game.

The Vikings, who start three players  6-foot-5 or taller, had a definite size advantage over the much smaller Pride lineup. Still, Heritage hung with the Vikings on the boards in the first half securing 12 rebounds while only allowing Loudoun Valley to wrangle in 14. However, the story in the second half was much different as the Vikings out-rebounded the Pride 19-11.

Loudoun Valley caught a break early as Heritage’s junior sharp shooter Zach Coffman picked up his third foul early into the second quarter. Yet, junior Paul Conteh came in and filled Coffman’s shoes nicely, scoring six points on the night while also adding a defensive spark that included forcing multiple turnovers.

Although Loudoun Valley’s offense was keyed by the combination of Rowley and Grimard, senior forward Jovon Miller quietly secured a double-double adding 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Vikings.

Heritage was led by the twin duo of Bryan and Erik Launi and Paul VI transfer, sophomore point guard Jesse Case, who led the Pride with 15 points.

At the end of the night, the Vikings’ free throw shooting — which was 12 of 18 while Heritage struggled at the line to the tune of 6 for 15 —  and offensive second chances allowed them to remain undefeated on the season.

Loudoun Valley Stats
Josh Grimard 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6/7 free throws, 1 assist
Paul Rowley 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, 2/3 free throws, 2 assists
Cameron Kiani 2 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals, 2 assists
Dalton Smolens 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist
Jovon Miller 10 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 2/5 free throws
Dakota DeLeonardis 4 points, 1 rebound, 2/2 free throws
Trey McDyre 1 steal

LVHS Totals
61 points, 34 rebounds, 16 turnovers, 6 steals, 2 blocked shots, 12/18 free throws, 6 assists

Heritage Stats
Erik Launi 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1/4 free throws
Bryan Launi 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 assists
Paul Conteh 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, 1 assist
Jesse Case 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, 2/7 free throws, 2 assists
Mister Lewis 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocked shots, 1 assist
Zach Coffman 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3/4 free throws, 1 assist
Morris Robinson 2 points, 1 assist

HHS Totals
54 points, 23 rebounds, 7 turnovers, 9 steals, 4 blocked shots, 6/15 free throws, 9 assists