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Yorktown Yanked from Postseason Play
Cold shooting costs Arlington
schools in regional tournament.
By Mark Giannotto
The Connection
It had already been a long night for
the Yorktown girl’s basketball team
when senior Carla Manger stole a pass
at midcourt, went streaking in for
what looked to be an easy layup, only to
watch it precariously roll off the rim into
teammate LaNia Charity’s hands.
Charity proceeded to brick the follow-up
attempt as Westfield took control of the ball
and the remainder of Monday night’s Northern
Region tournament first-round matchup
between the two schools.
The muffed lay-ups were a fitting conclusion
to a 63-48 Yorktown loss in which the
Patriots couldn’t seem to get the lid off the
hoop.
“We just could not make a shot,” said
coach Kim Cordell after her team went 16for-49
from the field. “We got a lot of offensive
rebounds, a lot of opportunities,
they just weren’t falling for us.”
Yorktown (14-10 overall, 9-5 National)
is now eliminated from the regional tournament
and can only wait until next year
to exact some form of revenge.
The Patriots had a huge size advantage
on the interior with six players listed at 5foot-9
or taller and took advantage of it on
the glass, led by junior Lindiwe Rennert
(eight rebounds). But Westfield (18-8) had
a gameplan of its own to offset the Patriots’
rebounding edge. The Bulldogs run a spread
out, Princeton-style offense heavy on pickand-rolls
that forced many of Yorktown’s in-
terior players to guard on
the perimeter.
It didn’t help that the
Patriots’ star player and
first-team all-National
District selection, Charity
(team-high 15 points),
was saddled with three
fouls in the first half,
forcing her to start the
second half on the bench.
“It definitely changed
things because she’s such
a strong player on both
ends,” said Cordell.
Still, the loss wasn’t all
for naught for Charity,
Manger (six points), and
the rest of the Yorktown
senior class. A year after
taking the Patriots all the
way to the regional semifinals,
this senior class
can say they helped bring
Yorktown back to the
upper echelon of the National
District.
Still, they harbored
dreams of getting to this
Friday’s semifinals yet again. For now, all
they can do is wonder what could have been
if it weren’t for an off shooting night.
“I think once everything starts sinking in,
I’ll finally look back, maybe cry a little bit,
seeing how well I’ve done and how well the
program has done,” said Charity.
Those pesky rims also caused havoc in the
Yorktown senior LaNia Charity had a
team-high 15 points Monday against
Westfield, while fighting through foul
trouble throughout.
ESPN Comes to O’Connell
Knights’ nationally televised game with DeMatha
last Tuesday was quite the spectacle.
Northern Region boy’s first-round matchup
between Wakefield and Westfield that
followed the girl’s game. Wakefield was
missing its own star, Johnathan Ford (19.4
ppg), after the senior picked up two technical
fouls in the team’s National District
Tournament semifinal loss to Stuart. VHSL
rules stipulate that an ejected player must
Arlington Connection Sports Editor Mark Giannotto
703-917-6409 or mgiannotto@connectionnewspapers.com
Wakefield senior Corey Levenberry goes up
for a shot during his team’s 53-43 loss to
Westfield.
miss his or her’s next game.
As a result the Warriors scored just one
basket in the first quarter and 10 points the
entire first half en route to a 53-43 loss to
Westfield. Wakefield made runs during the
second and fourth quarters, but they were
always answered by the Bulldog duo of
See Season Ends, Page 13
By Mark Giannotto the Knights and Stags did battle 9 p.m. tipoff.
The Connection in front of a raucous O’Connell “Atmosphere-wise, this was sec-
If the huge television production
truck idling outside the
Bishop O’Connell gym wasn’t
crowd and a national television
audience watching on ESPNU.
“Everyone has been going crazy,
I’ve never seen this many people
ond to none,” said ESPN analyst
and director of scouting for Scouts,
Inc. Paul Biancardi. “I think this
ranks up there with any game
enough of a clue that something at a game,” said O’Connell student we’ve had.” To set-up for the game,
out of the ordinary was going on and spectator, senior Billy ESPN officials did what they call
at the Arlington private school last McCarthy. According to McCarthy, a “sight-and-survey” in the weeks
Tuesday night, those in attendance tickets went on sale at 9 a.m. the leading up to the contest, where ESPN analyst Paul Biancardi was at Bishop O’Connell
only had to turn the corner to- previous Thursday and were sold they took pictures and notes of the High School last Tuesday night as part of the network’s
wards the gym doors to have their out within the hour. “This game, O’Connell gym to determine Old Spice High School Showcase. The Knights’ game
suspicions confirmed.
you just didn’t want to miss it,” he where all their equipment would against DeMatha was played in front of a packed house
On the entrance were two big said.
go.
and was broadcast to a national audience.
signs that read “Game Sold Out,”
The O’Connell athletic depart-
while extra tickets to the pivotal ALTHOUGH THE KNIGHTS ment built temporary scaffolding sor banners hanging throughout. ready made up. For last Tuesday,
WCAC regular season game about ended the night on a losing note that took up parts of one side of The hardest part, though, is get- producer Darren Chiappetta had
to begin inside between O’Connell after falling to DeMatha, 64-53, it the gym’s bleachers to hold ESPN’s ting relevant information about to literally send out questionnaires
and rival DeMatha were being did nothing to dampen the mood main cameras. The production everyone involved. When broad- to each player. There was also a
purchased for four and sometimes of the filled-to-the-brim gym. Stu- crew had the same amount of camcasting college games, ESPN has conference call with both
five times face value.
dents began tailgating soon after eras it would for a standard col- the benefit of sports information O’Connell coach Joe Wootton and
It was all part of ESPN’s Old school ended and filled their seclege game. There was also a make- departments that have all sorts of DeMatha’s Mike Jones before
Spice High School Showcase, as tion almost three hours before the shift announcing table with spon- stats, media guides, and bios al- See On ESPN, Page 13
12 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ February 25 - March 3, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Photos by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection
Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection