By Drew Costley
George Mason High School’s girls varsity basketball team beat William Monroe High School 63-30 in the quarterfinals of the Region B tournament on Tuesday. The Mustangs also won the Bull Run District tournament last Thursday with a 62-44 win over Clarke County High School.
Stephanie Cheney, a senior forward for the Mustangs, surpassed the 2,000-point career scoring mark in the fourth quarter of the game against William Monroe.
“I’m just overwhelmed with emotions,” Cheney said after the game. “My team has made it all possible for me. I can’t thank them enough, honestly.”
As of the end of the game against the Dragons, Cheney has scored 2,002 points during her career with the Mustangs. Tuesday marked the last game in the regular or post-season that Cheney will play in front of the Mustangs’ home team crowd.
“I was really happy because you know you want to bring home support to your Mustang family and, you know, I felt like I was really able to contribute something to the program,” Cheney said. “To do it here in front of people that I’ve been playing in front of four or five years was one of the greatest accomplishments.”
Cheney scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Dragons. Sophomore forward Katie Goodwin scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds and sophomore guard Ava Roth scored seven points and dished out five assists against William Monroe.
The Mustangs were as dominant defensively as they were on offense. Cheney and Goodwin combined for seven blocks against the Dragons. All three top scorers combined for 16 steals against the district rival.
“Overall, I’m pleased,” said head coach LaBryan Thomas. “Defensive-wise, we did an excellent job.”
George Mason earned the top seed in the Region B tournament after beating Clarke County last Thursday to win the Bull Run District championship. It was the fourth consecutive post-season district championship for the Mustangs.
“It feels good because the kids played really well tonight,” Thomas said. “We stuck to our game plan of putting a lot of pressure on them and I think we did a good job for the most part.”
Cheney scored 30 points against the Eagles. Goodwin scored 11 points and Roth added eight points in the Mustangs’ win.
After the game, Cheney was announced as the Bull Run District player of the year for the third consecutive year. Cheney and Goodwin were announced as first team selections for the Bull Run’s all-district team. Goodwin was surprised that she made the first team.
“It was a really, really great surprise,” Goodwin said. “I just can’t explain how happy I was. I worked my butt off this season and I’m just so glad to be named to the team.”
Cheney was not surprised that her teammate made it.
“I think Katie deserves it absolutely,” Cheney said. “I see a big future for her and I’m excited.”
The Mustangs take on Chatham High School in the semifinals of the Region B tournament tomorrow night at Strasburg High School. If they win, the Mustangs will play in the Region B championship this Saturday at Eastern Mennonite University.
