The George Mason High School varsity girls basketball team went into last Friday’s game against Clarke County looking to avenge a four-point loss to the Eagles on Jan. 4, but the Eagles would have none of it.

Clarke downed the Mustangs 48-33 to further distance itself from Mason in the Bull Run District standings and all-but clinch the top seed.

As the scoring would indicate, it was a much different affair from the 51-47 contest in early January. Mason Head Coach Bill Broderick attributed the drop in his team’s scoring column to a combination of physical defense by the Eagles and a lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end by his team.

Sophomore Kim Kenny led the team with 11 points and seven rebounds, with another strong all-around effort from Annie Zweighaft (six points, two assists, two steals). Junior Olivia Scott finished with four points.

“I was really pleased with the spark that Olivia provided off the bench for our team,” Broderick said.

Freshman Nicole Mitchell added five points and five rebounds for the Mustangs.

The loss drops Mason into a tie with Strasburg for second place in the Bull Run District. At stake is a first-round bye in the playoffs, and home court advantage in the second round. The drama is increased by the fact that Mason locked horns with the Rams Wednesday night at Mustang Gym. Results, however, were not available at press time.

“This game gives us an opportunity to control our own destiny going into the playoffs,” Broderick said heading into Wednesday’s game. “But either way, we are going to have to beat Strasburg again in the playoffs, whether it is in Strasburg or at home.”

The Mustangs have two games remaining in their regular season schedule, Friday at Rappahannock and next Wednesday at home against Manassas Park. Tip off for both games is set for 7:30 p.m.