Heritage Pulls Out Win Over Dominion

By Garrett Downing

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

In the first half of Monday's game against the Dominion Titans, Heritage dominated the Titans on both sides of the ball. The Pride jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead after connecting on several shots from long range and playing tough defense on Dominion's top scorer, Deandre Albritton.

Several second-half turnovers and an opportunistic Dominion defense allowed the Titans to creep back into the game before Heritage pulled away with a 69-61 victory.

“It was an ugly game,” Heritage head coach Marquez Mallisham said. “I was disappointed with the way that we didn't secure our lead. But you take a win any way you can get it.”

Dominion's (4-8, 1-5) full-court press in the second half created problems for the Pride (7-5, 5-1), who committed 21 turnovers in the game.

“We were out of control,” Heritage senior guard Chris Broderick said.

As Heritage struggled offensively, Albritton capitalized. He worked the fast break and penetrated the Pride's defense to finish with a game-high 20 points.

“He is going to keep them alive in games,” Mallisham said. “He is one of the most prolific scorers in our district.”

Even with the junior guard's scoring production, the depth of Heritage proved too much for the Titans to handle.

“Any given night we don't know who is going to be leading us in scoring,” Mallisham said. “The key to basketball is that you want to be able to attack people in a balanced fashion, and that is what we bring to the table.”

Heritage was led offensively by Broderick, who knocked down 20 points, including critical shots in Dominion's comeback attempt. The senior has been on the varsity squad for the past two seasons, helping in the Pride's bid for a third-straight district title.

“These kids have been here before,” Mallisham said. “They know how to take it one game at a time.”

Also with big nights for Heritage was senior Curtis Rustin with 14 and junior Steven Shockley with 11. Shockley had a hot hand in the first half, knocking down three three-pointers.

While Albritton led the Titans' scorers, junior Greg Smucker was the most consistent player for Dominion. He grabbed rebounds and slashed to the basket to go 8-for-8 from the field with 16 points.

Dominion also received a spark off the bench from Derek Geegbae's athletic play, who helped the Titans climb back into the game. The senior finished with 15 points.

While Dominion made the game close in the second half, frequent turnovers by Heritage gave the Titans chances to score.

Even though Mallisham was disappointed his team failed to hold on to its double-digit lead, he said the team's play in the second half gave him the chance to assess where it needs to improve.

“When you play ugly, it allows you to expose your weaknesses,” he said.

Heritage will work to address its weaknesses before it takes on rival and district challenger Loudoun County on Wednesday.

Loudoun County is also one of the top teams in the district, and Mallisham knows his team better be up to the challenge.

“It is going to be the battle of Leesburg,” Mallisham said.

Tagged: basketball, Dominion High School, Heritage High School, high school sports

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