West Potomac coach David Houston needed to impart just one word of advice to his team prior to Tuesday night’s game against Woodson.
Battle.
The Wolverines did just that, overcoming the psychological blow that Woodson inflicted on their home court just weeks ago in a 20-point loss, a significant size advantage for Woodson and a late rally to hold off the Cavaliers 55-50 on a cold, windy night in Fairfax.
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“They beat us on our home court, we wanted to get it back here tonight, and we did,” said Houston, a former Coppin State standout. “I asked them to battle and they did. I was so proud of them. We’re a tough group, we’re little, but we’re a tough group.”
The Wolverines set the in the first quarter, reversing an early four-point deficit with an 11-0 run that staked the team to a 16-9 lead it never relinquished. Despite Woodson’s significant size advantage, West Potomac out-rebounded the Cavaliers from the start and could have opened an even larger lead if it weren’t for poor first half free-throw shooting.
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“We rebounded really well. I think we caught them by surprise,” Houston said. “We went inside more than we normally do, we’re usually very guard oriented. Our leading scorer, Daryl Copeland, got into foul trouble early, so the other guys had to step up and they did.”
Early in the third quarter, Woodson junior guard, Mark Noe, (10 points) made a sweet move to the hoop for an easy layup, then hit two free throws on the following possession to tie the score at 22. But Wolverines’ guard Bryant Fultz started to impose his will on the game, scoring seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter with several daring forays into the paint.
“I needed to play big. This time I had to step it up and I did,” Fultz said after the game.
West Potomac’s lead bulged to nine with just two minutes left, as the Cavaliers were plagued by missed layups that were frequently too strong off the glass. But just as it seemed the contest was over, Brandon Stepka, who led all scorers with 19 points for the Cavaliers, almost singlehandedly took over the game. First, he hit two 3-pointers to cut the lead to four with 49 seconds to go in the game. He then stole an errant pass, hit the ensuing layup and got fouled in the process. Stepka completed the 3-point play to cut the lead to 51-50 with only 30 seconds to play.
But the Wolverines overcame their early free throw shooting woes to cinch the game at the line. Sophomore guard Brandon Pressley hit two free throws on the next possession in the face of a hostile crowd to extend the lead to three. Woodson freshman guard Daniel Noe missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, and then senior point guard Daryl Copeland (12 points) hit two free throws to seal the game.
The win, which improved the Wolverines’ record to 12-8 (6-7 in the district), gave last year’s district champs a vital confidence boost with the playoffs looming next week.
