Just for a moment the gym got very quiet as Fairfax coach Marcus Konde’s voice rose above all of the background chatter. His team was ahead by one, 23-22 in the second quarter, but 17 of the 22 points they’d given up had come from just one player: sophomore guard Megan LeDuc.
Konde was imploring his players to stop LeDuc. But there was no stopping her, as she scored 32 points, more than doubling her career-high and leading the Madison Warhawks back to the Liberty District finals with a 44-38 over Fairfax.
The stunning, come-from-behind win gives the Warhawks a chance to defend their title on Friday night against the tournament’s No. 1 seed Stone Bridge, who trounced McLean 47-34 to earn the final.
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Fairfax led throughout the first half, but carried just a three point lead, 25-22, into halftime, as Megan LeDuc scored 17 points.
“I have no idea how I was getting open, I guess I was just on,” said LeDuc. "I heard the other coach screaming during the timeout, but I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. I just knew they were going to come after me hard at that point, so we just had to come back harder.”
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The second half was a thrilling affair with nine lead changes and no shortage of drama. Sophomore guard Megan Henshaw (nine points) buried a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to give Madison its first lead of the game, 27-25, but Fairfax’s freshmen sensation, Kylie Murphree, who finished with 10 points, answered with a driving layup through traffic.
As the fourth quarter started, it was the sophomore LeDuc, and the freshman Murphree who played like veterans. With just five minutes to go in the game, Murphree nailed an triple to give Fairfax the lead, 35-33. But just when it seemed like the momentum was leaning toward the Rebels, LeDuc answered, stealing an errant pass and then hitting a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead with three minutes to play.
On the next possession, another freshman, the Rebels’ guard, Alysha Berry, made a strong move to the hoop and gave the lead right back to Fairfax, 38-37. But with just two minutes left in the game, LeDuc sank another 3-pointer to send the vocal Madison crowd into a frenzy. The shot staked Madison to a 40-38 lead that it would not relinquish.
With just a minute to play, and her team down by two, Murphree stole the ball and cruised in for a layup that would have tied the game. But she was called for a charge, much to the displeasure of the Fairfax faithful. With just fifteen seconds to go, LeDuc sealed the win for her team by sinking two free throws, the last of her 32 points.
