With two games played, a three-point shooting contest held and numerous individual awards presented, the Oakton High School gymnasium was a busy place the afternoon of March 17 as the site of the 19th annual Suburban Classic girls basketball event.
The all-star competition, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, had 40 of the best public-school senior girls players throughout Northern Virginia participating in two all-star games, and before those the three-point competition.
Hope Drake of Briar Woods High School in Loudoun County won the three-point shooting event, making 18 triples in the final round. Woodson High’s Sabina Niedrick and Gainesville’s Ella Nhek also made the finals, making five and eight, respectively, in the finals.
In the two games, players from the Concorde and Liberty districts of the 6D North Region defeated all-stars from Region C of Prince William County, 71-40, then a Loudoun County team downed the Occoquan Region C, 63-46.
Madison High School senior Stella Gougoufkas, who will play in college at Holy Cross, led the Concorde/Liberty team with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks and she made two three-pointers. She was chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player and also did well in the three-point shootout, making nine threes in the second round, but not advancing to the finals.
As for others in the GazetteLeader’s coverage areas from the Concorde/Liberty team, Oakton senior Finley Tarr scored 13 and made three three pointers, Wakefield High’s Helena Helms scored 13, Madison’s Avery Griepentrog had six points and nine boards, Marshall’s Anna Musgrove scored four with eight rebounds, Washington-Liberty’s Malek Ben Hammouda had four points and six boards, and Madison’s Lillian Perkins scored two with five rebounds.
Also, Westfield’s Emma O’Connor had six points and 10 rebounds and Centreville’s Jahniya Marion had six points and six assists.
Gabby Jackson (11 points) was the MVP for the Prince William team.
For the Loudoun team, Drake (11 points) was the MVP, and Robinson’s Elizabeth Barry (seven points) was the MVP for Occoquan.
Player and Coach of the Year honors from some of the districts and regions were announced between games.
Three $500 scholarships were awarded from the Northern Virginia Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and its president Fred Priester, including one to Tarr. The other two went to Sydney Scott and Mackenzie Holliday, both who played for the Lake Braddock Secondary School team.
Langley High’s Anya Rahman, Centreville’s Kennedy Parrott, Falls Church’s Simone Pendleton and Robinson’s Georgia Simonsen received district and region Player of the Year honors. The district and region Coach of the Year honors went to Langley’s Amanda Baker, Centreville’s Jo McLane, Edison’s Diane Lewis and South County’s Rudy Coffield.
