<b>Chantilly Shoots Past Westfield</b>
n what featured a matchup of two teams with a combined record of 24-2 overall, 9-0 in Concorde District play at the time, last Friday’s game between the Chantilly and Westfield boys basketball teams predictably came down to the final seconds. Chantilly junior Matt Dewitt hit a 3-pointer with less than three seconds left to give the Chargers a 57-55 win. The victory helped Chantilly improve to 13-1 overall, 6-0 in district play, as the Chargers' only loss this season came to area power Landon in the Pohanka Chantilly Classic over the holiday break.
The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for Westfield (12-2, 4-1 Concorde), which hadn’t lost since a 52-49 decision at King William on Dec. 6. Senior forward Chris Kearney led the Bulldogs with 19 points, while classmate Peter Scanlon added 10 from his guard position. Three players reached double figures for Chantilly, as senior guard Justin May finished with 14 points, sophomore center John Manning had 12 and junior forward Matt Howerton 10. Both teams returned to action this week, with Chantilly traveling to Centreville on Friday and Westfield’s game at Herndon Wednesday night, which ended after this edition went to press.
<b>Westfield Girls Roll</b>
Behind a game-high 30 points from junior guard Shelby Romine, the Westfield girls basketball team sped off with a 58-27 win over Chantilly last Friday. The Bulldogs held a 27-11 halftime advantage. The win was Westfield’s fourth straight entering Wednesday night’s Concorde District showdown with Herndon, which ended after this edition went to press. The Bulldogs have lost only once since Dec. 19 — a 64-50 loss to McDowell (Pa.) in the finals of Bulldog Bash on Dec. 30. Entering Wednesday’s game, Westfield’s record was 10-5 overall, 4-1 in the Concorde District. Chantilly fell to 7-7 overall, 2-4 in district play; the Chargers have now lost four straight. Against Westfield, the Chargers were led by Lisa Comerford’s seven points.
<b>Centreville Back on Track</b>
After three straight losses midway through December, the Centreville girls basketball team has found its groove these days, winning five of its past six games. The Wildcats traveled to Fairfax last Friday and dealt the Rebels a 43-35 loss. Erin Meador and Kate Vennergrund led Centreville (8-5, 2-3 Concorde) with 11 points apiece, while Vennergrund grabbed eight rebounds and Meador snagged six. The Fairfax victory follows a 75-68 decision over Yorktown and three wins over the holiday break. Centreville’s only loss during that span came on Jan. 8 to Westfield. Despite starting its season with wins over Wakefield and Falls Church, Centreville dropped four of its next five to South County, Robinson, Chantilly and Madison.
<b>Wildcats Shine at Kecoughtan</b>
Both the Centreville boys and girls swim and dive teams had strong showings at the Kecoughtan Invitational in Newport News over the weekend of Jan. 9-11. The girls team took second-place honors, while the boys finished 12th. Will Balberde earned the most points for the boys squad, finishing fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and eighth in the 100 free. Natalie Leake led the girls team by earning second-place honors in both the 100 free and 100 breast. The girls 200 medley ‘A’ team (Sana Alloo, Leake, Taylor Avery, and Susie Lesniewski) lost their meet record during the prelims but gained in back in the finals, finishing first in the process. On the boys side, Brett Merker upped his newly-acquired team record and finished 10th in the 100 free. He also finished fourth in the 100 breast. The Wildcats have a dual meet with Concorde District nemesis Oakton this Friday night at Oak Marr RECenter.