Leesburg, Va. — Every single player on the Tuscarora High School girls basketball team has the green light to shoot. And if you’re open and you don’t shoot, you sit. First-year head coach Tayler Dodson had made her point very clear, and her girls responded as the Huskies had 8 different players score in their 45-32 win over Broad Run on December 29 in Leesburg. “It’s a huge confidence builder if a coach is telling you to shoot the ball. That’s a huge green light that a lot of coaches don’t give,” Dodson said. “We have to score. Right now,…

Leesburg, Va. — After a three-point loss to open their season, followed by a tough showing in game two, the Loudoun County High School girls basketball team was looking to get on track when they hosted first-year Lightridge High School in Leesburg on December 29. While the first quarter didn’t go according to plan, the Captains were able to settle in, take better care of the basketball, and notch their first win of the season, 58-16. “It’s tremendous just from the sense of confidence for our girls that we can do it this year,” Loudoun County head coach Austin Campbell…

Leesburg, Va. — Coming into the season, the Riverside High School boys basketball team expected to see some junk defenses thrown their way, and Rams senior forward Michael Ziller expected to take the brunt of it. But even as Briar Woods routinely changed up its defensive looks—at times playing a box-and-one on Ziller—the senior was able to make an impact, scoring a game-high 26 points in the Rams’, 72-54, win over the Falcons on December 28 in Leesburg. “My shot was falling early,” Ziller said. “They started keying on me, which made it easier for me to find my teammates.”…

Leesburg, Va. — For the past six years, there’s been a lot of change for the Tuscarora High School girls basketball team, including three different head coaches and playing in three different districts across two VHSL state classifications. But throughout all the change, one thing has remained consistent since 2014: there’s always been a Middleton on the court. While she played beside her sister—and two-time All-LoCo Player of the Year—Isabellah last year, Tuscarora sophomore guard Grace Middleton was never the type of player to hide away in the shadows. Last year, Isabellah made that clear and said she would take…

Leesburg, Va. — The Potomac Falls High School girls basketball team hangs their hats on their defense. After holding opponents to less than 32 points per game last season—more than 13 points less than the district average—the Panthers showed why they’re a defensive juggernaut when they opened their 2020 campaign in Leesburg on December 22. After falling into an early deficit due to the three-ball, Potomac Falls moved away from their traditional zone defense, playing man-to-man for a large portion of the second half, collecting 18 steals, blocking 7 shots, and disrupting the Riverside shooters, as the Panthers edged the…

Leesburg, Va. — After leading most of the game, the Dominion Titans found themselves in an unfamiliar position with less than two minutes to play as Loudoun County had not only erased a double-digit deficit but had taken the lead. Knowing his team needed a big play, Dominion senior guard Aidan Edwards buried a three pointer—his third of the game—as the Titans retook the lead. On their very next possession, the Titans broke the Captains’ press and found senior forward Justin Mann wide open under the basket where Mann finished with an emphatic slam dunk. Under normal conditions, that dunk…