Panthers Rout Briar Woods in 70-43 win

By Kevin Myrick

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Michael Fiebert, dressed in the No. 35 jersey, was sitting patiently on the bench for Potomac Falls Friday when a groundswell of student fans sitting directly across from him began chanting his name.

"We want Fiebert!" the student section yelled over and over again until Panthers head coach Jeff Hawes sent his senior varsity manager up to the scoring table to check in, giving Fiebert a long-awaited chance to prove himself.

And with this last chance, Fiebert hit the first two points of his career at Potomac Falls, watching the basket go in as fans rose to their feet to celebrate.

"It was like a dream come true when that first shot went in," Hawes said.

Fiebert, who plans to attend West Virginia University, was one of many players on the Potomac Falls bench who had a chance to face Briar Woods in the last game of the regular season. The Panthers came away with a 70-43 win to clinch the second-place spot in the district.

When the game ended, the Panthers' student section rushed the court and carried Fiebert toward the locker room in a Hollywood-like ending.

"It's amazing," a stunned Fiebert said after the game. "I was waiting for it the whole time and then I heard them chanting my name."

Hawes, while adding that he'd planned on putting Fiebert in the game all along, moved the timing up to the third quarter because of his team's 24-point lead over the Falcons.

Briar Woods entered the game hoping to get a regular season win heading into the tournament, while Potomac Falls wanted to clinch the No. 2 spot.

It took a minute for the two teams to get their offense going, but Aaron Sweger put up two for the Panthers in the low post, followed by Isaiah Nicholson matching the score with 6:15 left in the first.

"I thought our half court man-to-man was pretty good, but we were having a hard time coming back because they push the ball up the court so hard and fast," Briar Woods Assistant coach Mike Koscinski said.

The Panthers started out strong in the second and kept up the pressure on defense while shooting well on offense.

"We were trying to trap and mix it up on them," Hawes said. "We thought that with their youth we were mixing it up on purpose to try and confuse them."

Alex Kott hit a game-high 22 points for Potomac Falls off four field goals, four three-pointers, and hitting two of three from the line.

"Alex all year has played a little stiff. He's battled a couple of injuries, he had a great off-season," Hawes said. "Tonight he was free-flowing and he was playing his game."

Potomac Falls stretched its lead in the third to 24, which allowed Hawes to bring in Fiebert and give his senior manager of four years the chance to play.

Briar Woods, playing a short bench Friday, tried to hold on as Nicholson (14 points), who got his fourth foul in the third quarter, and Nico Darden (11 points) both tried to bring the Falcons back. But Briar Woods went into the fourth down by 29, and it seemed inevitable that the Panthers would come away with the win.

"At the end we came back and we were getting some shots and we were moving the ball in the offense," Koscinski said.

Hawes said he hoped his team could carry their winning momentum into the district tournament that begins Tuesday. Briar Woods, with this loss, heads into the tournament for the third year in a row without a single district win.

Tagged: basketball, Briar Woods High School, high school sports, Potomac Falls, Potomac Falls High School

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