The Briar Woods Girls Varsity Basketball team, with a new coach, is making their mark, with a record of 10-8. The Falcons have worked hard to make a name for themselves and continue their legacy of being a dominant force in the district, with hard-fought wins against formidable opponents.
Head Coach Mike Gallagher shares his opinion on the team’s performance so far, stating, “we want to be a team that everybody should be worried about, and with how competitive we’ve been and the way we’ve been performing, I think we’re off to a pretty good start. We have strong leadership from our three team captains, Brianna Zaher, Tanvi Kancharla and Nina Keltz, and they’ve really helped lead this team and lift everyone up and encourage each other.”
The Falcons faced the Riverside Rams on Monday, Jan. 13, coming away with a 40-27 win. The game started off in the Rams’ favor, with the Falcons trailing 13-10 at the end of the second quarter. Coming out of halftime, Briar Woods turned things around, dominating the third quarter with 19 points. By the end of the period, they had taken the lead 29-23 and held onto it for the remainder of the game. Junior point guard Tanvi Kancharla played a pivotal role, scoring a game-high 16 points and driving the offense to secure the victory.
Sophomore guard Nina Keltz comments on the team’s win against the Rams, saying, “I think that some teams think we’re the underdogs, but I think we came together with our energy and we just punched them in the face, especially in the third quarter, because after halftime, we were really motivated. Personally though, I think we need to be passing more efficiently, because they played a zone defense, and we didn’t have a really good start.”
Briar Woods delivered a strong blow to the Stone Bridge Bulldogs on Friday, Jan. 17, securing a 65-42 victory. The team played exceptional basketball on all fronts, with great ball movement, efficient passes to the right players and sharp shooting. They were also strong on the boards and played solid team defense throughout. Freshman guard Tanisha Srinivas and sophomore guard Sadie Auch led the offense, each scoring 14 points. Junior center Brianna Zaher also contributed with eight points, strong rebounding and solid defensive pressure, despite being at risk of fouling out after picking up four fouls. These contributions were crucial in helping the Falcons maintain control and seal the win.
“Stone Bridge was definitely a very good team game for us, where we all played amazing team basketball. I think our game all around was really good, and our defense was really good as well. That game was definitely a really good memory for me, and personally, I think I had a great game,” reflected Zaher.
The Falcons suffered a tough 54-48 loss to the Potomac Falls Panthers on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Both teams maintained momentum throughout, with neither side willing to back down. However, the Falcons just couldn’t climb out of a hole they found themselves digging. Despite solid efforts from Auch, who led the team with 13 points, and a determined performance from the rest of the team, Briar Woods struggled to capitalize on rebounds and allowed the Panthers too many fast breaks. Adding to the challenge, Keltz fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Sadie Auch was at risk of following her with four fouls. While the Falcons fought hard, the Panthers capitalized on Briar Woods’ inability to convert on second-chance opportunities and contain fast breaks, allowing them to hold their ground and close out the game.
“We had to really compete the entire game and be tough, and the girls never gave up. Adversity is one of the challenges we want to overcome, and with us on the road, coming back from a snow day, and playing against a really good team, one of the things I’m most proud of is that despite all this, they never gave up. Rebounding is an opportunity for us to improve from that game, since we weren’t as big as the other team, and we have to really rebound more aggressively,” explained Coach Gallagher.
The girls’ next game will take place at Briar Woods against Potomac Falls on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 pm. Make sure to come out and support your Briar Woods Falcons!
