Viking boys hold off Eagles
“A win is certainly not acceptable,” he said. “You take them, but we&3039;ve got work to do. We just have to grow. We have kids trying to make decisions for us who are not used to doing it.”
The Vikings needed sophomore leadership from guard Daniel Fountain, one of four returning contributors from a team that lost all-Cardinal District guards Shane Staples and Jimmy Bryant. Fountain scored a game-high 20 points, making all four of his free throws and a pair of 3-pointers.
Osbourn (1-2), just two games removed from an upset loss to Brentsville, was within 46-43 on Devan Ewell&3039;s steal and ensuing layup with 1:43 to go. But Woodbridge&3039;s Jeffrey Allen then drove the lane for a basket and Tyrice Watkins added a left-handed layup.
Watkins, a senior post player, scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds inside for the Vikings (2-1 and ranked second in the area). He and Fountain scored 15 of the team&3039;s 18 points in the first quarter, but Woodbridge only led by five through eight minutes.
In the third quarter, Woodbridge extended its lead to 41-26 as Fountain scored nine straight Viking points on three layups and a 3-pointer. Osbourn, though, went on a 9-0 run to cut the margin to 41-35. Then the Eagles made their upset bid.
Down 46-37 with 3:31 to play after a pair of Fountain free throws, Osbourn scored the next six points. Jarel Moore (10 points) wriggled free for a basket from the baseline; Robbie Stoltz made a pair of free throws; and Ewell scored the layup to make it a three-point game.
Brandon Oglesby led Osbourn with 16 points, including seven in the third quarter. But Fountain helped assure that Woodbridge kept the lead. The Vikings are playing without junior guards James Prince (knee injury) and Andre Bratton (foot).
“Over the summer, the coaches asked me to do more things [than shoot],” said Fountain, who had three assists. “I&3039;m concentrating more on going to the basket, getting inside because free throws come easy for me.
“It&3039;s kind of an odd position being a leader as a sophomore; I&3039;m not sure they&3039;ll listen to what I have to say. But the coaches are saying they want me to take a leadership role.”
He&3039;s not disappointing Robinson, who said, “From an offensive standpoint, [Fountain] is probably as good a player as there is in this league. He has all the tools. There are other areas we need to shore up, but you&3039;re talking about a sophomore.”