Olivia Stafford didn’t start the girls basketball game against the Washington-Liberty Generals. But the freshman guard sure made a big impact for the Yorktown Patriots once she entered the high-school contest.
Stafford did a little bit of everything, wreaking havoc all over the court to help lead visiting Yorktown (8-3, 2-0) to a 61-37 victory in the Liberty District clash between Arlington rivals. She finished with 14 points, seven steals, three rebounds and two assists.
“Olivia is a difference maker because she’s everywhere, is a good athlete and ups our intensity of play when she enters the game,” Yorktown coach Devaughn Drayton said.
Stafford was one of three players to score in double figures in the win. Taylor Chase led Yorktown in scoring with 16 points to go with five steals and three rebounds; and Ana Bournigal had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Sofia Tran had eight points for Yorktown; Emma Nelsen had four points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals; and Asha Goodwin added a point, two steals and two assists.
Yorktown took the lead for good at 9-7 on a backdoor layup by Chase off a pass from Stafford with 4:03 left in the first quarter. The Patriots built their lead to 21-11, only to see W-L rally to cut the margin to 25-24 late in the second quarter.
By the end of the third period, Yorktown was in control, leading 46-32.
“When we lost that lead in the second quarter, our players stayed positive and went back to the things we do well,” Drayton said.
Nour Ben Hammouda led the Generals in scoring with nine points. Malek Ben Hammouda scored seven and had nine rebounds and two steals. Frances Shapiro scored five with two steals, Bridget Bartz had four points and five boards and Harriet Shapiro and Caitlin Miller each scored four.
Yorktown defeated the Wakefield Warriors, 56-30, in its next game against another Arlington and district rival.
Bournigal scored 15, Goodwin 12, Nelsen eight, Stafford seven and Chase six. The Patriots made five three-pointers.