The solid 9-1 start enjoyed by the Washington-Liberty Generals this season is the best in at least 35 years for the girls high-school basketball team.
After a season-opening 10-point road loss to the Oakton Cougars, the W-L squad has run the table with nine straight victories.
“We have continued to play well in some games,” first-year Washington-Liberty head coach Horace “Buck” Willis told ARLnow.
Exactly how the 9-1 start stacks up in the century-old W-L girls basketball program is difficult to determine. Team records before the 1990s can be challenging to track down.
The Generals’ previous best recent start through 10 games was a 6-4 mark last season.
Washington-Liberty’s most recent competition came in the Cougar Holiday Classic at Oakton High. The Generals went 3-0. In order, they defeated Battlefield, 60-50, Colgan, 62-36, then rallied to down the defending 6C North Region champion Robinson Rams, 49-40.
The Generals are gaining attention because they have defeated some strong opponents like Robinson, Yorktown, Battlefield and Madison, which won three state championships in recent years. Oakton is also a perennial power.
Willis has been working to have the Generals play with toughness, especially with pressure defense. That worked well in the final three quarters against Robinson and its good outside shooters.
Against the Rams, W-L struggled with turnovers and poor shooting early in the game, falling behind 8-0, then 26-13 in the second quarter. The Generals rallied to within 26-20 at halftime, then took control in the final two periods, helped by a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter.
Washington-Liberty had far fewer turnovers in the second half, shot better and the Generals’ pressure defense cooled off the Robinson shooters. The Rams scored just two points in the third quarter.
“We had some words at halftime, and came out to play tighter defense on their shooters in the second half,” Willis said.
In the second half, W-L senior center Eve Jungman dominated with her inside play. She scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half and had some key assists on inside baskets made by Camille Marston (nine points, four rebounds). For the game, Jungman had 16 rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.
“Eve played much calmer in the second half, we got her the ball inside and she finished and scored,” Willis said.
Jungman was chosen to the all-tournament team.
The Generals took the lead for good at 39-37 with 4:46 left in the game on Jungman’s follow shot. The basket ignited that 10-0 run.
Junior guard Kathryn Wagener was the Generals’ leading scorer with 15 points, with seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Anna Jungman scored four, had nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, and keyed the team’s defense.
Also for W-L, Hannah Kelley had four points and an assist and Riley Krohl made a three-pointer for her only points, and had two steals. Dylan Plummer had two rebounds off the bench.
Against Colgan, Eve Jungman scored 25 points, Anna Jungman 12 and Wagener eight. In the win over Battlefield, Wagener scored 18 and Eve Jungman 14.
