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Sports

Herndon Girls Upset Rams in Overtime

Headen and Lowry play big on Senior Night for win, 48-46

Herndon (5-15, 2-7) faced a tough district opponent on Senior Night as Robinson (14-7, 6-4), who had previously defeated the Hornets by 19 points in January, looked to improve both its district record to 7-3 and tournament seed.

However, Herndon shocked the Rams by leading for the majority of the game Tuesday night and eventually upset them in overtime, 48-46.

Robinson sophomore Dhyamond Crenshaw started the game strong behind an aggressive post game, while teammate Tyler Hansen worked the perimeter to find open shots as the Rams went on a quick 5-0 run in the first quarter.

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However, the Hornets composed themselves on defense, and Deborah Headen stripped the rock away from the Rams twice for easy transition buckets, leading Herndon on a run of its own to end the quarter leading, 10-8.

Rams coach T.J. Dade said he was concerned with guarding Headen.

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“We are going to pressure them man and zone,” he said. “We have to control number five (Headen) and limit her touches. We have to control the boards too.”

Robinson stuck to its tough man defense in the second quarter, and forced Herndon to shoot from the outside, stopping Headen as planned, momentarily. Lauren Denham ran the point nicely for the Rams and hit 15-foot jumpers to knot it up at 14, but Brianna Lowry came off the bench for Herndon and hit her stride immediately. She shot 6-of-10 for a game-high 15 points and increased Herndon’s lead at halftime, 22-16.

“We had to keep our hearts, stay confident and we know we have the best conditioned team in the district,” Lowry said.

Herndon started the second half slowly, losing its fast pace from the first two quarters. Robinson took advantage, grabbing offensive boards for second-chance buckets. Megan Green went 2-of-7 for seven points and had two offensive rebounds off of her missed 3-point attempts while charging the glass untouched. The Rams cut the Hornet lead to one point as they headed into the final quarter of regulation.

The fourth quarter was a battle royale as both teams traded buckets, hitting shots from all over the floor. Crenshaw went 4-of-7 for 12 points, six boards and two blocks, controlling he upbeat tempo of the game. Lowry battled back along with Headen, who shot 5-of-10 for 14 points, five boards, and five steals.

Green hit a jumper to give Robinson the lead with 2:45 left in the fourth, 42-41. Herndon got into turnover trouble, but gained its poise as Headen hit a 12-foot floater from the paint and the last seconds of regulation.

The Rams and Hornets started overtime in a defensive dogfight. Charging fouls were called on both offenses, and they struggled hitting shots. Crenshaw hit several free throws to put the Rams back up, but missed two crucial ones late in the period and Herndon would capitalize.

Down by one, Lowry got the pass behind the arc and had space as she spotted up and drained the 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds left in overtime. The Rams could not answer, and Herndon won the upset on its Senior Night.

Headen said this win meant a lot and thinks other teams will see how they have improved.

“It pretty much means everything and it makes me want to keep going upstream,” Headen said. “It shows how we can always come back, play together and it shows all the teams in the district what we can do.”

Crenshaw said her team lost focus at times, but felt they came together and fought hard in the end.

“In the first quarter we were not as focused as we knew we could be, but in the second we came out and did our best,” Crenshaw said. “In overtime we came we got mentally focused and prepared to play.”

Herndon coach Reggie Barnes said he was proud of his team.

“The girls never stop working hard and kept grinding. It is a testament to their character,” he said. “I just told them tonight to let it all hang out because there was nothing to lose.

"[The last plays] were inbounds calls that we have worked on, and it is one of the first times they have worked and sometimes it is better to be lucky.”

Herndon plays at Chantilly Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., while Robinson plays at home against Centreville Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

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