By Caitlin Butler
George Mason High School’s girls basketball team couldn’t generate much offense in consecutive games but was only burned by it once, with a 42-29 loss to William Monroe High School Tuesday night and a 32-27 win over Brentsville District High School last Thursday.
Against William Monroe, the Mustangs managed to score a single point for the entirety of the fourth quarter. The Dragons, meanwhile, added 10 more to their 32-28 lead, making for a lopsided victory.
“We definitely had a lot of opportunities. Missed free throws, missed open shots. That kind of got away from us at the end,” said Mason head coach Chris Carrico.
Mason was handling the full court press from William Monroe to start the third quarter and cut into the Dragons’ 24-18 halftime advantage by the end of the quarter. But the defense, gassed from having to work so hard throughout the first and second quarters, couldn’t hold up once the offense gave out on them.
“I feel like we had a really good effort on the defensive end. That kept us in the game,” said Head Coach Chris Carrico. “You have to score more than 29 points to win a game. That’s what it comes down to.”
Facing Brentsville last week, the Mustangs were able to put a lid on the basket in the final frame and go on a quarter-long, 5-0 run to secure the win.
The Tigers had the possession to start the last quarter that resulted in a sloppy turnover. Goislard gave the Mustangs a lead they’d never relinquish with two successful foul shots to go up 29-27. Mason’s man-to-man defense locked Brentsville out from scoring for the remainder of the game.
The game was rough offensively throughout, and the Mustangs were on the losing end for most of it.
Both the Tigers and Mustangs were unsuccessful with getting a shot to fall to open the first quarter. With only 3:58 left in the first frame, Brentsville broke the curse and nailed down a three-point shot on the disorganized home team’s defense.
Rosenberger quickly responded to the Tigers bucket with a swift three-pointer of her own to help the Mustangs gain their momentum. A buzzer beating three from sophomore guard Zoraida Icabalceta ended the first quarter at a score of 6-6.
Multiple turnovers from Mason and a slightly hotter Brentsville team allowed the visitors to tally a total of 13 points in the second quarter while the hosting Mustangs only added nine, putting Mason down 19-15 going into the half.
Rosenberger opened up the third quarter for the Mustangs with a three pointer allowing Mason to trail the visiting Tigers by one point. The Mustangs’ strong defense helped them outscore Brenstville 12-8 in the third to tie it 27-27, before the final defensive period assured a Mason victory.
Mason traveled to play Broad Run High School last night, but results weren’t available by press time. The team will host Warren County High School on Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
