Raiders Cruise to 10th Win, 80-53

By Matt Tobin

Saturday, January 12, 2008

In a game that pitted a nine-win team against a nine-loss team, the presumable happened, with Loudoun County blazing past Briar Woods, 80-53.

With the help of Raiders (10-3, 3-2 AA Dulles) guard Joe Bushrod's timely passing and efficient beyond-the-arc scoring, Loudoun County was able to take a firm grip of the lead in the first quarter Friday night and never let go.

Raiders head coach Brian Blubaugh acknowledged the extra notch in the win column, but still noted his team's inefficiencies.

"We're playing pretty well -- at times," Blubaugh said. "We haven't played well on the road yet this year."

On Friday, though, the team played well enough to double its opponent's halftime score with 42 points and cause 14 total turnovers.

Many of the turnovers came by way of the hands and feet of Bushrod and fellow teammate and guard Brett Tagg, who used their speed to anticipate passes and hound their one-on-one matchups. Combined, the pair accounted for 11 of the Falcons' turnovers.

Bushrod, who finished with 16 points and five assists, had the kind of balanced game that his coaches have been looking for.

"He's just playing point guard like we want him to play," Blubaugh said. "We just felt early on in the year that he was trying to score too much and missing opportunities [to pass]."

For the Falcons (1-10, 0-5), it is another loss, but one that head coach Mike Benson said he believes offers room for optimism.

"We played better in the second half, that's the bottom line," Benson said. "We hung with them in the third quarter and I saw some good things."

In that third quarter, the Falcons outscored the Raiders through three-point production and by keeping their turnovers to a minimum. Karl Etienne, a formidable inside presence for Briar Woods, also got four rebounds and six points in the period.

In the end, though, Benson acknowledged the level of competition his team faced Friday was high, especially for a team that had one senior in the starting lineup.

"I got a freshman point guard who's learning on the job, a couple sophomores and juniors that are learning the game as we go on -- and that's what this year is all about," he said.

Tagged: basketball, Briar Woods High School, high school sports, Loudoun County High School

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