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Losing hurts: Hawks fall again in state final to familiar foe
It was like deja vù all over again.
The last three Virginia Independent Schools Division II state championship games have all ended the same way: The Highland girls basketball team graciously standing and clapping as Walsingham Academy receives the title trophy.
The latest sequel in the one-sided trilogy took place on Saturday at Paul VI Catholic School. Walsingham outscored Highland 13-2 in the second quarter en route to a 42-37 victory.
The Trojans (29-1 overall) have now won four successive Division II crowns; Highland (24-8) now owns three consecutive second-place plaques.
“It's really frustrating. It's a shame,” Hawk point guard Hannah Safren said. “I really, really honestly, with all my heart, thought we had it this year.”
Instead, depressed and teary-eyed, the Hawks eventually retreated to their locker room while Walsingham cut down the nets.
“Coming in, I heard we were playing (Highland) again and that was a lot of pressure for us,” said Walsingham senior Kelly Korkowski, whose 14-point, 12-rebound performance in the finals helped earn her tournament MVP honors. “They were really coming out hungry the whole game; they really wanted to beat us.”
Walsingham downed Highland 60-35 in the 2006 final, and 61-48 last year.
The tables appeared ready to turn Saturday, at least early on.
Highland forced Walsingham into seven first-quarter turnovers. The Hawks parlayed those Trojan miscues into a 14-12 lead after eight minutes.
Junior Maire Shaughnessy scored 12 of Highland's points in the opening quarter. She highlighted her barrage by stepping out beyond the arc and draining two three-pointers — her first triples of the season — sending the Highland crowd into a frenzy.
“It was amazing when I started off like that. I thought we were really going to win,” said Shaughnessy, who wound up on the All-Tournament team.
“Maire Shaughnessy was unbelievable,” Highland coach Donald O'Meara said. “I yelled at her, 'They're leaving you wide open, shoot the three.'”
But when the second quarter started, all of Highland's magic disappeared.
Utilizing Korkowski's 6-foot-1 frame to clog the interior while rapidly closing on Highland's shooters, Walsingham's defense took over.
The Trojans permitted just two Highland points in the second quarter — an Erin Whitney layup with less than a minute left. Walsingham took a 25-16 lead into the half, stunning Highland.
“We made an adjustment to their dribble drive penetration,” Walsingham coach Kevin Williams said. “We implemented a type of spy system. They went to turn the corner, and there was somebody there.
“That kind of took away their offense rhythm and put some doubt in their head offensively.”
The Hawks regrouped slightly in the second half, but they never found a true rhythm.
Highland continued to force Walsingham into turnovers — the Trojans coughed it up 26 times to Highland's seven — pulling within 29-25 after three.
Walsingham's lead never dwindled below four points, however. Highland had chance after chance to pull closer, but could not get a shot to fall.
The game's statistics bore that fact in mind-boggling truth.
While Walsingham hit on 11-of-20 field goals and finished 19-for-24 at the line, Highland shot 13-for-57 from the floor and 6-for-16 at the line.
Highland's three leading scorers throughout the season (Denae Davis, Ella Miller and Safren) finished a brutal 6-for-41.
“We couldn't put the ball in the hoop,” O'Meara said. “Hannah, Ella and Denae just didn't have good days. You're not going to win when your three stars don't show up.”
Walsingham had no problem locating its leaders.
In fact, Korkowski (who will play for Colgate next fall) and senior guard Caroline Wilke put on a two-person show to carry the Trojans. While Korkowski took care of the glass, Wilke killed Highland by continuously getting to the foul line.
She drained 13-of-15 free throws.
“My two big game plans were to take away Wilke and Korkowski, don't let them drive on us, and they drove all night,” O'Meara said. “My second thing was to not foul Wilke...she hit one field and finished with 15 points.”
The lack of execution against Walsingham's big two combined with Highland's own offensive issues left the Hawks contemplating what might have been.
“I really do feel like we were the best team,” Safren said. “We lost by five. We missed 10 foul shots. If we hit those, we win. We weren't shooting well.
“I don't know,” she added, pausing to collect herself. “We blew it.”
The Hawks have won four straight Delaney Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles.
This season, Highland finished with 24 wins despite arguably the toughest schedule in the program's history.
So Highland certainly had positives to cling to on Saturday. Still, the 0-3 recent record against Walsingham overwhelmed that.
As the Trojans stood in the Paul VI hallways, posing for another state title picture, the Hawks lingered in their locker room for nearly 45 minutes.
When they finally emerged, crestfallen, they tried mightily to keep their chins up.
The weight of a missed opportunity — and a shot to finally get over the hump against Walsingham — weighed heavily, though.
“I really think this year was our year, we just didn't execute,” O'Meara said. “There's that little mental thing.
“We're in a rut right now where we can't find a way to beat them.”
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