Senior Evan Hamme tied his career high in points and exemplary shooting in the second half helped George Mason High School earn a big, non-district road game at Word of Life Academy in Springfield Monday, 71-51.
The win put the Mustangs in a three-way tie for third place (along with Strasburg and Madison County) in the Bull Run District. Mason is 7-10 overall and 3-4 in the Bull Run.
Last night, the Mustangs had a critical matchup at home with Madison County, the result of which came too late for this edition. The team travels to Clarke County, the second-place team in the Bull Run, Friday night. They wrap up their season next week, playing Word of Life again at home on Monday and Strasburg on Wednesday, February 11.
Hamme matched highest output of the year with 38 points (23 in the second half). He scored 38 in a December 19, 2003 game against Rappahannock. Hamme also added 18 rebounds.
“We wanted to take advantage of our size down low,” said coach Bill Broderick. “This team [Word of Life] is very athletic and aggressive at the guard position, we had to use our big men.”
Hamme (who stands and 6’5”) and fellow seniors Pete Hammil and Deuce Greenfield dominated the boards in the second half. Greenfield finished with nine rebounds and Hamill had 10 boards and seven points.
The game was a story of two halves. Trailing by two at the break, the Mustangs came out on fire and effectively put the Ambassadors away by outscoring them 18-6 in the third quarter. In the midst of a 14-0 run in that quarter, Hamme hit five consecutive field goals, forcing the Ambassadors to take a timeout and substitute a taller lineup in to guard him.
Broderick used a unique substitution pattern in the first half, rotating in an entire new set of five players for his starters. The technique worked in the Mustangs’ favor. The team applied a full-court press for the entire first half, throwing the speedy Ambassadors off guard. Role players like Mike Chaves, Sean Dawson, Steve Williams and Will Straub were big contributors to the win.
Junior Colin Molano made his first start in replacing the injured Jack Lawlor. Molano finished with seven points and eight assists. Fellow junior forward Robert Kuhn added seven assists as the Mustangs shot over 50% from the field.
The Ambassadors’ biggest lead was 27-22 in the second quarter after hitting back-to-back three-pointers. But good passing, an effective press and help from overall good shooting kept Mason close.
In a small but deafening gym, the home team had the advantage of the crowd. Broderick admitted that his team committed communication errors because of the noise level, but kept close by challenging the Ambassadors’ shooters.
“The press worked for a little, but we were giving up too many easy shots,” said Broderick. “We realized we had to take advantage of our size and when we did that, it worked.”
Last Friday night, at home against Bull Run District-leading Manassas Park, the Pit at George Mason High was rocking as the Mustangs used full court pressure defense to scramble back from a double-digit deficit and pull within one point in the final minute, before ultimately losing by three, 62-59.
Mason’s tenacity brought the team within three with five minutes to go, but the Cougars then pulled out to a 10-point lead.
Far from fading, however, Mason kept up the pressure to almost pull off a major upset. Evan Hamme scored 26, Colin Molano had nine and Sam Ehsani hit two clutch three-pointers in the late rally and finished with eight points. With the win, Manassas Park remains undefeated in district play at 6-0 and they swept the Mustangs on the season series.
