Heritage Rolls Past Briar Woods in 46-Point Win

By Kevin Myrick

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

First-place Heritage was off and running in its Dulles District quarterfinal game against eighth-seeded Briar Woods on Tuesday, rolling to a 76-30 win and setting up a semifinal game on Friday with crosstown rival Loudoun County.

The Pride was led by Preston Findley, who hit three-pointers on Heritage's first two possessions and finished with a team-high 13 points. Mike Massey added 11 for Heritage (14-8), which led 33-17 at halftime. Pride Coach Mark Malisham told his players that even with a big lead, it was no time to be

complacent, reminding his team that a year ago Briar Woods nearly beat them at home.

"I told them at halftime that I don't care who we're playing, we still have to be competitive," Malisham said.

Heritage outscored Briar Woods, 17-4, in the third quarter, holding the Falcons scoreless for the first five minutes of the period until senior center Isaiah Nicholson made two free throws. Nicholson would end the night with a game-high 17 points, hitting 5 of 5 from the line. Falcons Coach Mike Benson said that he was proud of his seniors, especially Nicholson, despite the loss.

"I think he's one of the best big men in the district, bottom line," Benson said. "I think he could play for any team in the district, and he's been our go-to guy for the entire second half of the season."

Malisham said that he wasn't trying to drive up the score on the Falcons, but mostly that his team was playing tough defense all night.

"We tried to increase the intensity a little bit, but we dropped back to zone in the second half," Malisham said.

For Briar Woods (3-20), it's the end of the season and time to look ahead.

"It's all about building for the future right now," Benson said.

Heritage moves on to face fourth-seeded Loudoun County. The Raiders were the stumbling block for the Pride during the regular season, including a loss at Loudoun County on Feb. 15.

"So far they've been the king of Leesburg for those last two games," Malisham said.

Malisham said that his team's goal now is to win the district tournament, adding that "County is in our way" of their goal.

"We've won a district title, and anytime you have schools right close to each other it's going to be a rival type of game," Malisham said. "But we're going to be competitive."

Tagged: basketball, Briar Woods High School, Heritage High School, high school sports, post season

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