While the rest of the country looks forward to an exciting end to the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Falls Church Times pool champion is nearly decided.  Entrant owengohl is in the top 1% of all entries in the ESPN brackets and has a nearly insurmountable lead with three of his final-four choices still in the race.  Gohl picked  Kansas to face a heavily favored Kentucky in the final.

There are dark horse competitors however. While Dr. McDoogal Noisewater 1 and Kathleen2600 2 trail more then half the ESPN field, a Louisville victory in the finals can still vault them to the top of the Falls Church Times group.

Demonstrating that you can’t be wrong all the time, but you can be darned close, Earley Will has the bottom two brackets both of which trail a remarkable 99% of ESPN competitors. Unfortunately, New Mexico State will not be facing University of North Carolina in the final match-up as Will predicted.

The last three games will be played in New Orleans. The quarterfinal match-ups will be played tonight, March 31, with Louisville facing Kentucky at 6:09 PM followed by Ohio State and Kansas at 8:49 PM. The final game is Monday, April 2 at 8 PM.  Check your local listings for stations.

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
March 13, 2012

In 2010, then Falls Church Times’ Food Reporter, Jimmy Scarano, hosted our first Falls Church Times March Madness Pick’em Tournament. It was a close and exciting battle narrowly won by Daniel Butler over Dennis Zaenger from the tie-breaker. Without Jimmy’s leadership, the Tournament failed to launch in 2011, but is back this year for “Little City Madness 2012″.

You can test your basketball knowledge and good fortune against those of your fellow Little-cityzens in the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament pick’em challenge. Victors will get bragging rights (for at least a year) and three lucky participants will take home gift certificates to one of our fine restaurants and retailers in Falls Church City – the 1st place winner will receive $75 in gift certificates, 2nd place $25, and last place $5 (you must have a complete bracket to compete for last place!).

Sign-up now. You’ll want to get your bracket in before play starts on Thursday March 15. To join

• go to the tournament website
• sign-in or sign-up
• the password is “fctimes”
• fill in your bracket
• watch the games and results come in.

You can sign-up after 3/15, but you won’t be able to get as many points so don’t hesitate. If you have questions, comments, or prizes send a note to Dave Witzel.

See you in the stands.

The George Mason High School Lady Mustangs beat the Lady Devils of Gate City 50-47 to earn the VHSL Group A Division Two Championship.  The game was close throughout, with seven ties and eight lead changes.

Junior Stephanie Cheney opened the scoring with two in the paint from an offensive rebound, followed quickly by a fast break score by Senior Lauren Kane for a 4 – 1 lead.  Gate City came right back, tied the score at seven, and Mason took the lead back for a 10 – 7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Mason’s defense continued to frustrate Gate City, as Stephanie Cheney blocked back-to-back shots, and Senior Leah Roth stole the ball and took it to the hoop for a 14-7 lead.  Sophomore Ashley Alexander drilled Mason’s only three point goal of the night to extend the lead to 10 points.  Gate City used a very physical defense to try to get back in the game, committing several fouls, but Mason could only convert 4 free throws in the first half and the Lady Mustangs went to the locker room with a lead of only two points, 25-23.

Stephanie Cheney with one of five blocked shots

The third and fourth quarter were a see saw battle of ties and one point lead changes.  Mason fans grew quite concerned when Stephanie Cheney fouled out with 4:55 left in the 4th quarter, but her teammates rose to the occasion to fill her shoes.  Lauren Kane, Senior Krista Kelly, and Freshman Katie Goodwin all nailed free throws to seal the win in the closing seconds.

Lauren Kane drives for two of her 16 points

Lauren Kane led Mason’s scoring with 16 points, Ashley Alexander had 11, Stephanie Cheney totaled 10, Katie Goodwin came off the bench to add six points, Leah Roth tallied four, Krista Kelly with 2, and Jaya Chavern scored one.

The celebration was well deserved for the Lady Mustangs, who have been been to the final four 8 times, with this their third championship in four years.  Seniors May Williamson, Krista Kelly, Leah Roth, Lauren Kane and and Sonia Kapoor have completed fabulous basketball careers at George Mason!

The Lady Mustangs celebrate another State Championship!

Mason scores against Fort Chiswell

The George Mason High School boys basketball team thumped Fort Chiswell 62-50 today in the semifinals of the Virginia State Basketball Tournament to move to tomorrow’s Championship game. 

Nunley (24) replaced injured Nate Ogle

The Mustang boys were underdogs entering today’s contest, lacking the services of senior forward Nate Ogle, who broke his hand in GM’s quarterfinal outing against Essex.  But the Mustangs led from the start and built a double digit lead in the fourth period that Fort Chiswell was unable to overcome.   Junior forward Will Nunley was a huge bright spot on the day, stepping into Ogle’s shoes and delivering a 13 point performance. 

Tickets for tomorrow’s Championship games at the Siegel Center ($10 plus fees) are available online here.

The Lady Mustangs of George Mason High School defeated Glenvar Thursday night 64-48 in the semifinals of the Virginia State Basketball Tournament.  With the win, George Mason advances to the State Championship game against Gate City Saturday in Richmond.

Glenvar and Mason played a nip and tuck game early in the contest, but the Lady Mustangs managed to lead 18-15 at the end of the first quarter.  In the second period, the Highlanders fought back to take a 19-18 lead.  Sophmore Jaya Chavern came into the game and hit a three point shot the first time she touched the ball to put Mason back in the lead for good.   Senior Krista Kelly drove the lane and scored to give Mason a 29-25 advantage going into the locker room.

The Lady Mustangs started the third quarter strong, with consecutive baskets by Sophomore Ashley Alexander, Senior Leah Roth, and Senior Lauren Kane, to open up a 10 point lead.  Glenvar showed great determination and eroded the lead to single digits several times.  Lauren Kane showed her skills at both ends of the court by blocking a three point shot by Glenvar, and then taking the ball all the way to the hoop at the other end. 

Lady Mustangs were leading 45-36 entering the final stanza.  The fourth quarter was all Mason, with the Lady Mustangs dominating the Highlanders on both ends to walk away with a double digit win.

Stephanie Cheney led the Lady Mustangs in scoring with 20 points on the evening.  Lauren Kane had 13, Krista Kelly found several holes in Glenvar’s defense to add nine, Leah Roth scored seven, and Ashley Alexander tallied 5.

George Mason’s Championship game opponent, Gate City, advanced with a 48-42 win over Stuarts Draft earlier in the evening.  The Blue Devils started the season 5-11 before turning a corner in the second half of the season to claw their way into the state finals. 

The Championship game will tip off at 3pm Saturday at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center in Richmond.

George Mason High School’s boys and  girls varsity basketball teams each won their quarterfinal state tournament games today, advancing to the Final Four next week

The boys team faced a challenge in their match with Essex High School.  The Mustangs held a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, but Essex fought back to get within two points with one minute left.  The Mustangs added a basket, plus excellent free throw shooting and punched their ticket to the final four with a 56-52 win.  Four Mason seniors scored in double digits, as Nate Ogle led the way with 15, Phillippe Griffiths added 14, Dmitri Venets had 12 and Noel Obusan had 10.

The Lady Mustangs hoped to continue the success in their quarterfinal match against the Lady Tigers of Sussex Central High School from Sunny Creek, the Division 2 Region A champions.   Mason jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with consecutive fast break baskets by Senior Lauren Kane.    The Lady Tigers clawed their way back into the game, led by Senior Tatyana Calhoun and closed the score to 12-9.  Mustang Senior Leah Roth turned a steal into a fast break basket with eight seconds left in the first quarter, closing the period with Mason leading 14-9.

Stephanie Cheney scores two points in the paint

Junior Stephanie Cheney opened the second quarter with a three pointer and then two foul shots, to widen the lead to ten points.  Strong defense pressure limited the Lady Tigers’ scoring opportunities, and resulted in many fast break opportunities.  Senior Krista Kelly and Sophomore Juliana Rollo both had steals in the second quarter that they turned into assists to their Mason teammates at the other end of the floor.   Mason went into the locker room at VCU with a commanding lead of 39-20.

Ashley Alexander opens the 3rd with a fast break basket

Coach LaBryan Thomas did not let his team ease up in the third quarter.  Defensive pressure continued, with the defense tallying 11 steals in the game and forcing a total of 21 turnovers by the Lady Tigers.  Mason’s defense held the Lady Tigers to single digit scoring in the first, third and fourth quarters. The final score was 66-36 for the Lady Mustangs, who return to the final four in the state tournament for the fourth year in a row.

Lauren Kane and Stephanie Cheney led all scorers with 23 points, each, Freshman  Katie Goodwin came off the bench to score ten points and grab four rebounds, and Leah Roth had six points and eight assists.

The girls will now face Glenvar High School Thursday at 8:45pm at the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

The boys will take on Fort Chiswell Friday at 12:15pm, also at VCU’s Siegel Center.

The George Mason High School Girls Basketball team lost to Stuarts Draft, 51-39, last night in the Region B Tournament Championship Game.  The game was played at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg.

The Mustangs had a great start to the game, hitting their first three shots, plus Senior Lauren Kane blocking three shots, to open up a 6-3 lead.  The Mustangs and the Cougars matched basket for basket through the rest of the first and second quarters, with Mason leading 23-19 at the half.

As the third quarter started,  Stuarts Draft started sinking three point shots, and took the lead from Mason.  The  Cougars finished with 27 of their 51 points from three point range.  Mason started a comeback in the fourth, but could not overcome a 12 point deficit.

Coach LaBryan Thomas noted that he was disappointed with the loss, but the Lady Mustangs have one more chance next weekend to return to the State Championship Final Four for the fourth year in a row.  Location and opponent will be announced next week.

Katie Goodwin scores between two defenders

George Mason High School fell to Dan River in overtime, 67-60, Saturday night in the finals of the Region B boys basketball tournament.

Mason led by one point at the half, and the game was tied, 53-53, at the end of regulation.

As the top two teams from the Region, both teams qualified for the State tournament.  The Mustangs will play Essex High School in the State quarterfinals this week.

The George Mason High School Girls Basketball team defeated Central Woodstock 54-46 on Friday night.  With this victory, they advance to the Region B championship game on Saturday.

Mason came out of the gate fast, with Senior Leah Roth starting the scoring with a three pointer.  Good defensive pressure and offensive rebounding had the Lady Mustangs in the lead by 16-6 at the end of the first quarter.  Both teams played with intensity, with many scrums for loose balls and offensive fouls.  Mason extended their lead to twenty one points in the second quarter, and went into halftime leading 36-19.

Central Woodstock fought back in the third quarter, outscoring Mason by 10 points and cutting Mason’s lead to only seven points.  Coach LaBryan Thomas made several adjustments to start the fourth quarter, and those adjustments paid dividends.  Senior Lauren Kane opened the fourth with a shot from beyond the arc for three, and Stephanie Cheney added two baskets from the low post to increase the lead to 13.  Central Woodstock continued to threaten, but had to resort to fouling in the last two minutes.  Senior Krista Kelly was fouled and sank both free throws with less than a minute left to put the game out of reach for the Falcons.

Central Woodstock double teamed Junior Stephanie Cheney all night, which opened up the opportunity for three point shots, with Mason scoring 18 points from three point range.

After the game, Stephanie Cheney said she was “happy that the team kept our composure at the end of the game and hit our free throws.”  Cheney and Central Woodstock guard Katelyn Poston led the scoring with 15 points each.  Sophomore Ashley Alexander scored nine, Lauren Kane tallied eight, Freshman Katie Goodwin had seven points, and Leah Roth six points.

The Mustangs will play for the Region B Championship on Saturday night at 8:00 at Eastern Mennonite University against Stuarts Draft.

Mustangs Celebrate After Nipping Stuarts Draft

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
Photos by ANDREW NICKLE
February 24, 2012

Drew Nickle guards against Stuarts Draft

Will Nunley hits winning shot with 2 seconds left