Streak Now At 38
East Rockingham Beats TA, 61-51
Posted: December 28, 2012
ELKTON — A couple East Rockingham High School girls’ basketball players admitted that they’ve thought about the possibility of finishing this season undefeated. At this point in the season, it would be hard not to consider.
The Eagles led by as many as 19 points in a 61-51 win over Turner Ashby on Thursday, improving to 10-0 and winning their 38th straight game dating to last year’s Division 1 state championship run. All that’s left for the Eagles in the regular season is the rest of the Shenandoah District schedule, and East Rock hasn’t lost a game against a district opponent since its inaugural season in 2010-11.
“Since it’s like, we’re [about] halfway through the season, we’re like, ‘All right, let’s run the table now,’” junior Katie Dofflemyer said.
In East Rockingham’s two-plus year history, the girls’ basketball team has a record of 61-9. Of those nine losses, five have been to Group AA teams — including the Eagles’ most recent loss, 60-57, to Broadway on Dec. 6, 2011. That was their only defeat last season.
The Eagles’ only loss to a district team in their history was against Central — which has since moved from the Shenandoah to the Bull Run District — on Dec. 17, 2010.
The final game against a Group AA team on the Eagles’ schedule this season came Thursday, and Turner Ashby (1-9) didn’t put up much of a fight.
The Knights hung around in the first half, leading twice in the first quarter and pulling to within four in the second. But a quick 8-0 burst in the third gave the Eagles a 42-26 lead, and TA’s best comeback came only after ERHS coach Paul Comer emptied his bench with 3:45 remaining.
Sophomore Madison Comer scored a game-high 15 points for the Eagles, with senior Jessica Lam (13 points) and senior Sarah Cameron (11) close behind. East Rock shot 25-of-44 from the floor (56.8 percent), while the Knights had 20 turnovers.
Of course, these aren’t the same Knights of years past. The winners of 16 district titles have just one win this season: against R.E. Lee on Dec. 19. Senior Kaitlin Keeley had a team-high 12 points for TA, which had just eight active players Thursday due to a couple injuries that TA coach Rob Lovell described as “day-to-day.”
“We’re not going to make excuses,” Lovell said. “…We were shorthanded tonight, but we played hard and played tough, and we just ran into a real good team.”
Still, for East Rock, the undefeated season stands, and Comer is happy to embrace it. But the winning streak? Not so much. A couple of East Rock players had to do math to figure out what the streak had gotten to.
“It’s just taboo,” Coach Comer said. “It’s like talking to a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. You push that the other way, and I think it doesn’t exist. It’s the big elephant in the room, and we try to walk away from it. Because, when we start focusing on that and we start thinking about that, the pressure mounts.”
TURNER ASHBY
Cleaver 2 5-6 10, Sheffer 2 3-3 7, Dean 1 0-1 4, Keeley 5 0-0 12, Witt 3 0-3 6, Wood 2 0-4 4, Bosley 3 2-4 8, LaPrade 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 10-21 51.
EAST ROCKINGHAM
Dofflemyer 3 0-1 8, Comer 6 1-4 15, Rouse 3 0-0 6, Smith 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Cameron 5 1-2 11, McPike 0 0-0 0, Wilkins 0 0-0 0, Lam 5 3-4 13, Bailey 0 0-0 0, Nicholson 3 0-0 6, Kisling 0 2-2 2. Totals 25 7-13 61.
TAHS 13 11 13 14 - 51
ERHS 16 17 15 13 - 61
3-Point Goals—Turner Ashby 3 (Cleaver 1, Keeley 2), East Rockingham 4 (Dofflemyer 2, Comer 2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Turner Ashby 28 (Cleaver 6), East Rockingham 21 (Cameron 5). Total Fouls— Turner Ashby 12, East Rockingham 18.
JV score: 38-31 East Rockingham
The Eagles led by as many as 19 points in a 61-51 win over Turner Ashby on Thursday, improving to 10-0 and winning their 38th straight game dating to last year’s Division 1 state championship run. All that’s left for the Eagles in the regular season is the rest of the Shenandoah District schedule, and East Rock hasn’t lost a game against a district opponent since its inaugural season in 2010-11.
“Since it’s like, we’re [about] halfway through the season, we’re like, ‘All right, let’s run the table now,’” junior Katie Dofflemyer said.
In East Rockingham’s two-plus year history, the girls’ basketball team has a record of 61-9. Of those nine losses, five have been to Group AA teams — including the Eagles’ most recent loss, 60-57, to Broadway on Dec. 6, 2011. That was their only defeat last season.
The Eagles’ only loss to a district team in their history was against Central — which has since moved from the Shenandoah to the Bull Run District — on Dec. 17, 2010.
The final game against a Group AA team on the Eagles’ schedule this season came Thursday, and Turner Ashby (1-9) didn’t put up much of a fight.
The Knights hung around in the first half, leading twice in the first quarter and pulling to within four in the second. But a quick 8-0 burst in the third gave the Eagles a 42-26 lead, and TA’s best comeback came only after ERHS coach Paul Comer emptied his bench with 3:45 remaining.
Sophomore Madison Comer scored a game-high 15 points for the Eagles, with senior Jessica Lam (13 points) and senior Sarah Cameron (11) close behind. East Rock shot 25-of-44 from the floor (56.8 percent), while the Knights had 20 turnovers.
Of course, these aren’t the same Knights of years past. The winners of 16 district titles have just one win this season: against R.E. Lee on Dec. 19. Senior Kaitlin Keeley had a team-high 12 points for TA, which had just eight active players Thursday due to a couple injuries that TA coach Rob Lovell described as “day-to-day.”
“We’re not going to make excuses,” Lovell said. “…We were shorthanded tonight, but we played hard and played tough, and we just ran into a real good team.”
Still, for East Rock, the undefeated season stands, and Comer is happy to embrace it. But the winning streak? Not so much. A couple of East Rock players had to do math to figure out what the streak had gotten to.
“It’s just taboo,” Coach Comer said. “It’s like talking to a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. You push that the other way, and I think it doesn’t exist. It’s the big elephant in the room, and we try to walk away from it. Because, when we start focusing on that and we start thinking about that, the pressure mounts.”
TURNER ASHBY
Cleaver 2 5-6 10, Sheffer 2 3-3 7, Dean 1 0-1 4, Keeley 5 0-0 12, Witt 3 0-3 6, Wood 2 0-4 4, Bosley 3 2-4 8, LaPrade 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 10-21 51.
EAST ROCKINGHAM
Dofflemyer 3 0-1 8, Comer 6 1-4 15, Rouse 3 0-0 6, Smith 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Cameron 5 1-2 11, McPike 0 0-0 0, Wilkins 0 0-0 0, Lam 5 3-4 13, Bailey 0 0-0 0, Nicholson 3 0-0 6, Kisling 0 2-2 2. Totals 25 7-13 61.
TAHS 13 11 13 14 - 51
ERHS 16 17 15 13 - 61
3-Point Goals—Turner Ashby 3 (Cleaver 1, Keeley 2), East Rockingham 4 (Dofflemyer 2, Comer 2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Turner Ashby 28 (Cleaver 6), East Rockingham 21 (Cameron 5). Total Fouls— Turner Ashby 12, East Rockingham 18.
JV score: 38-31 East Rockingham