Forest Park girls win fourth Northwest Region title

dutnik@potomacnews.com
Amber Epps didn’t need anybody to tell her that she’d drawn a tough defensive assignment Saturday night.
Forest Park’s senior guard knew exactly what she was up against when Erica Warren stepped onto the court. The one lasting image Epps had of George Washington’s best player was quickness and that meant she had to be quicker.
“It was a mentality I had,” Epps explained. “The only thing I needed to know is that she wasn’t getting the ball.”

Here’s the thing: Warren may be a prolific scorer — she was the Western Valley District player of the year — but Epps is an even better defender. It’s her niche and she took that job very seriously during a 60-24 blowout victory in the Northwest Region Tournament championship game.

“Amber’s proved over and over again what a good defensive player she is,” Forest Park coach Rebecca Tillett said. “But part of what makes her such a great defender is she knows she has everybody else with her and she counts on that.”

At Forest Park, defense is a group effort, whether the Bruins are trapping with a 2-2-1 zone press or matching up man-to-man. But Epps is almost always asked to square off against the opposing team’s top scoring threat.
That was the case on Saturday and she never allowed Warren an opportunity to find a rhythm, as the Eagles’ senior guard didn’t hit her first field goal until 7 minute 17 seconds remained in the game.

“It’s a tough job and everything, but when I wasn’t on her we had other people to help me out,” Epps said. “I was proud of what I did and I was proud of what everybody else did.”
The Bruins had a right to be proud. Between the defensive efforts of Epps, Gerda Gatling and Shayla Drakeford, there were few scoring chances for Warren, who had one point in the first three quarters and finished with seven.
“That was huge. It was really huge because she’s one of the best guards we’ve faced to this point and she’s one of their playmakers,” Bruins center Briana Scott said. “Amber did a great job on her.”

The Eagles (22-6) rode into town having won 13 straight and they’d just beaten Potomac 60-41 to earn a berth in the finals. But that streak came to a screeching halt at Forest Park, which opened up a 23-5 lead in the first five minutes and were never challenged.
“They are a quick team and I give them their props for that,” Epps said. “I thought we handled their pressure and their transition well.”

The Bruins’ fourth regional title in five seasons featured exceptional defense, but the other facets of their game were also apparent as Danni Jackson scored a season-high 27 points and Scott finished with a season-best 13.
“The defensive effort is always our focus when we come out but it even surpassed our expectations tonight,” Tillett said. “We were most concerned about their transition offense. We just tried to shut them down early and I think we did a good job of doing that.”

Forest Park (23-4) led 50-13 after three quarters and easily extended its winning streak to 18 games without starting guard Deidre Richardson on the court for much of the night. She injured her left knee after being fouled midway through the second quarter, but the Bruins hope to have her back for Saturday’s Group AAA State Tournament quarterfinal game against either Mills Godwin or L.C. Bird.
“Our focus was getting back here. We all had the mentality and drive to get here,” Epps said. “But we still have a lot more ahead of us.”