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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scotty Sports Corner

By Hollis Duncan
St. Margaret's School Staff Writer

SMS soccer, basketball squads start strong

Soccer: If last Tuesday's game is any indication, this winter is going to be one heck of a ride for St. Margaret's varsity soccer team (1-0 overall; 1-0 LIS). Busting out of the gate with a jaw-dropping three-goal performance, senior Carol Combs led the Scotties to a 4-0 shutout against The Steward School of Richmond.

"Unstoppable," is the word Assistant Coach Whitfield Mastin used to describe Combs' on-field play. "When she finds her zone, Carol has footwork and dribbling that leave her opponents standing still. She is a great player to watch."

Junior Tonia Arsala scored St. Margaret's fourth goal and center midfielder Britton Faulkner of White Stone "played brilliantly," in the words of Head Coach Rodney Watkins, to help SMS win its December 5 opener.

Basketball: Getting a lesson from its first opponent was not the start Head Coach Sue Saunders had envisioned for her young Scotty basketball squad. But St. Margaret's came off its 40-52 opening round loss to the Central Virginia Home School team and bested its next opponent in the Christchurch Episcopal School Invitational Basketball Tournament, handing St. Vincent de Paul of Petersburg its worst early season defeat in years.

St. Margaret's 2000 varsity basketball team includes: Front - Manager Leila Weissinger, Blair Fisher, Cassy Cormack, Sara Newman. Back - Tess Duncan, Fola Ogundiran, Dwann Cutler, Olivia Longest, Lindsay Neist, Mary Burke Parker, Manager Kathleen McDermott and Head Coach Sue Saunders. Not pictured: Carey Ballard, Kristina Bethea.

Freshman Blair Fisher of Lottsburg led the way for St. Margaret's offense, scoring 22 points and posting 5 rebounds. Starting at center, junior Carey Ballard added 8 points and led the team with 7 rebounds in the 56-18 rout.

Head Coach Saunders, pleased with the Scotties' third-place finish, named Ballard and Fisher as the team's co-MVPs for the December 1-2 tournament. Ballard led all SMS scorers with 10 points and fell one rebound shy of Fola Ogundiran's impressive 10-rebound mark in the CVHS game.

The Scotties faced Trinity Episcopal School on December 6 in their first League of Independent Schools game this season. Despite suffering an ankle injury late in the second quarter that ended the game for her, Ballard led all SMS scorers with 5 points. Fisher added 4 points in the contest, which SMS lost, 20-35. St. Margaret's now stands at 1-2 overall, 0-1 LIS.

JV Basketball: Under the leadership of first-year Head Coach David Cook, St. Margaret's junior varsity basketball team (1-0 overall; 1-0 LIS) is off to an exciting start. Priding itself on a rigorous man-to-man defense, not unlike the college game, SMS shut down Trinity Episcopal School 35-30 on December 6.

The Scotties' blistering defense held Trinity to just 6 first-half points, all of which came in the second quarter. Freshman Robyn Ridderhof led Scotty scorers with 9 points at the break, en route to a game-high 15. Scoring 8 third-quarter points, Margaret Moncure of Tappahannock assured St. Margaret's a comfortable 35-13 lead at the end of three. Trinity fought back in the final quarter, mustering a 13-0 run as the Scotties held on for victory.

"We played some of the best man-to-man I have ever seen," commented Cook on his team's outstanding defensive display. "It will be a great season."

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