JV girls' basketball downs Barons

By Avi Wolfman-Arent

DEC 9, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM-

The Blair junior varsity girls' basketball team won a defensive struggle over the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Barons 26-18 on Dec 9 to improve its record to 2-0 on the season.

The Blazers led most of the game and used their smothering defense to keep the Barons from mounting a comeback. Blair jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the first quarter and surrendered the lead just twice the rest of the game. The Blazers had a slim 10-9 halftime lead but pulled away with a 10-1 run in the third quarter to extend their lead to 22-14. That spurt sealed victory on a night where neither teams' shots were falling. B-CC mounted a small comeback narrowing the margin to four in the fourth quarter at 22-18, but the Barons could not muster another point against the Blazers' stingy defense, and Blair pulled away for an eight-point margin of victory.

Blair spread the scoring around with no one player looking dominant on offense. Freshmen power forward Ashley Bayton was the leading scorer with eight points. Sophomore co-captains Monique Eldridge and Sarah Kenney added seven and six points, respectively, while freshman guard Christina Hymes finished with five points. The Blazers also got valuable minutes and outstanding defense from freshmen guard Krista Byrd.

Coach Julia Nation said that the team played solidly on defense, creating trouble for the Baron shooters, but struggled to find a rhythm offensively. "We had too many mistakes, too many bad passes, we did not play to our potential on offense," Nation remarked. "The big thing we work on is defense. If you can hold your opponents, you have a good shot of winning games."

The Blazers' next game is Friday, Dec 9 at home against the Walter Johnson Wildcats, where they will look to extend upon their impressive start.