Five girls qualified to compete in what was touted as the toughest qualifying state meet in its 34 year history on February 15 & 16, 2008 at the George Mason University pool. Entering this meet, the team knew it was going to be hard to repeat a state title, but each swam as if they could do it. StoneBridge was represented by seniors Tiffany Going, Brittany Haskell, & Caitlin Ives, 10^TH grader Rachel Peterson, and 9^TH grader Lauren Keating. All five girls placed in the Top 16 in 5 of the 11 events. The flu had plague one of our swimmers and most likely kept us from being represented in the Top 16 in two more events. As it turned out, we finished with some impressive results. In our 200 Freestyle relay we had the 2^nd fastest Div. II time of the State; the 200 Medley Relay placed 4^th in the Div. II rankings, Tiffany Going finished the 100 backstroke with the 3^rd fastest time in the state of Division II girls, and Rachel Peterson finished 1^st place in the state in the 100 freestyle of Division II girls! For the three seniors, this meet concluded their 10-12 year membership with the StoneBridge swim team. In their 4 years of high school swimming, they led the program to a Runner-Up Title (2006), a State Title (2007), and now 4^th place in the state (2008). These three girls will be greatly missed as they have not only contributed their talents, but their dedication and passion for excellence. They have set a standard for many other female athletes at StoneBridge as they have trained for over 110 days (9 months) throughout each the season, without a break for holidays, many times finishing practice at 11:00 PM and arising the next morning at 5:00 AM to do it again. Even more to their credit is that each of the seniors are members of the National Honor Society, which means they have maintained a combined GPA of 98%. All three will be evaluated this spring by the selection committee for the Academic All American Team by the national high school swimming organization (NISCA).

the girls contended well for all four quarters but fell 41-30 in the state semis. Great effort. Had chance to win late. More later…

OK… It’s morning now and I think these girls did a fantastic job this year. Truth be told, we played the best team remaining in the tournament yesterday and we could have beaten them. Consider this: our opponent scored 92 points on Thursday and we held them to 41 points yesterday.  We beat them on the boards; our defense did an excellent job of keeping them out of any rhythm.

And we came storming back in the fourth quarter. Our strong contingent of SBS fans made quite a racket which (perhaps!) helped induce turnovers by our opponent on three successive possessions — okay, the girls get 99% of the credit! We cut it to four or five with about 2:30 remaining and had the ball. A break here or there and we’re playing today in the finals.

What a great bunch of girls, and the prospects for next year are very, very strong.

Hey, let’s use this thread to offer some words of thanks to Ryan and Julius for representing SBS so well in their excellent play and tremendous character this basketball season! Just click on “comment.”

Here’s the Va-Pilot’s story, online.

Girls boxscore:

Intro to the story:

By DAN COOLEY Special to The Virginian-Pilot For the first time, StoneBridge played host for both the boys and girls quarterfinals in the state private school basketball tournament as the higher seeds.

I suppose we all left the gym tonight with mixed emotions. Our Lady Cavs managed a strong win over their opponent. Can’t recall the score but we were +20 or so. Our girls seem to be getting a step faster as the season progresses. They are working well as a unit. Their press is getting tougher. Ashlea and Sarah seem to be even more dominant.

Audio from tonite’s game here. Click on “girls basketball.”

Seems the girls got their nerves out of the way in this game, specifically the first half. After halftime, we turned up the pressure. Caitlyn Walsh nailed some threes along the way. Caitlyn Unsworth played her normal great game. We got some great bench play from Anna and Rachel. Sometimes — maybe especially in the playoffs — it can be tougher to play at home. Away games get the team, well, away. It’s “us against them” on the road. Tomorrow, the girls go on the road — Reston I believe. I think they’ll come out charging. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go for it, girls!

Victors in Defeat
The boys had a heartbreaking loss to a very determined Tidewater Academy. Tidewater was out-sized certainly, but they played a disciplined game, got some good bounces, made their free throws and hit a few real clutch shots at the end. But we’re not confused — the Cavaliers boys are winners. They won every time they stepped on the court. They worked and worked and worked. They took on several much larger schools and always contended, always kept their composure, always showed respect for the game, the coaches, the refs.
It happens. Anyone who has played any organized game knows that sometimes the shots don’t seem to fall. And this crew also learned another life lesson — the burden of success. After the game, Coach Cal said to me that a few years ago, we wouldn’t have all felt this much heartbreak for a loss in boys basketball. But last year changed everything, and this team and their coaches did a tremendous job carrying the mantle of “State Champions.”

Let’s hear it for the fans!
Wow– what a scene tonight! Great fun. Great intensity. Great cheerleading. Great homemade shakers. Great concessions. And Cavaliers Club members even got some free popcorn and drinks!

I hope others will use this space to extend their thoughts and appreciation to the team, to the coaches and to the administration for creating this environment for SBS to come together and unite… like a small town… like a family of friends… always keeping things in perspective. There are bigger fish to fry for these boys. And the lessons they’ve learned are invaluable. Thanks, Coach Cal. Thanks guys. For a great season!

Feel free to “comment” to this post — open to all without registering. Even better… comment and then click on “wanna blog” above and become a contributor and write some articles!

testing a remote post from the iPhone. This is cool (not as cool as the iPhone, but still cool).

First round of the state tournament takes place today at the SBS gym — home of the best lighting on the southside, the most energized fans and the cool second tier with the snazzy snack bar!

Girls play  Wakefield at 5:30 — note the early starting time

Boys play Tidewater Academy at 7:00.

SBS fans will be treated to two home playoff games this Thursday. First the girls will play at 5:30 followed by the boys game. OUr girls are ranked second in the state after we rolled through the Metro Conference tournament. The boys are ranked fourth and as defending state champions are surely one of the teams to beat.

Big possibilities for exciting games on Friday and Saturday, but first things first — we need two big wins on Thursday and lots of fan support!