Forest Park ready for next challenge

By JEFF CHRISTIAN
Published: February 28, 2008

Upsets seemed to be the order of the day during Tuesday’s round of regional tournaments in Virginia. Several top-ranked teams fell across the state and they didn’t go unnoticed.

“(Tuesday’s) scores were just unbelievable,” said Forest Park head coach Rebecca Tillett. “There were some incredible upsets, and that is something you have to think about this time of the year.”

Tonight, Tillett’s Bruins will play host to Riverbend in the semifinals of the Northwest Regional tournament. Forest Park is riding a 16-game win streak heading into tonight’s game including a 61-38 romp of Osbourn Park Tuesday.

This is the first year Riverbend has competed in AAA and it has reached the state tournament the last three seasons in Group AA.

As for Forest Park, a victory would mean its sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament for the Bruins.

“We know we have a battle on our hands,” said Tillett in her first year leading Forest Park. “(Riverbend has) two quick guards and two quality post players. They are big and we will have to work hard defensively.”

Meredith Frye, who is a junior, stands 5-foot-11 and will be a huge presence in the middle all night for the Bears, who have lost only one Battlefield District game in three years.

Two players who have stepped up and helped the Bruins during the postseason are Gerda Gatling and Amber Epps.

“Gerda doesn’t get a lot of press,” Tillett said. “She is an incredible rebounder and just an overall hard worker. Amber, has great defensive ability. She is our stopper.

“We normally put her on the opposing team’s top scorer who averages around 14 or 16 points and Amber holds them to two, or four points. That’s just how good she is defensively.”
Riverbend is the regular season champion this year out of the Commonwealth District.