Highlanders Split Pair
The McLean High School boys varsity basketball team split a pair of games this week against Liberty District Opponents, slipping past the Marshall Statesmen, 47-38 on January 18, but succumbing to South Lakes, 49-44, on January 22.
The Highlanders started slowly in both contests, but they'd awaken in time to put away the struggling Statesmen. McLean rallied in the second half, sparked by Tariq Ammoury's 22 second-half points and a renewed defensive effort, to reclaim the lead after trailing at the half 20-16. Ammoury finished with a double-double (25 points, 12 rebounds) to lead the Highlanders to the victory.
Marshall, meanwhile, was paced by its back court of Bryan and Nate Whittington with 10 and nine points respectively. Daniel Blakely chipped in with seven points for the Statesmen.
Despite another impressive outing from Ammoury, the Highlanders couldn't keep up with the South Lakes Seahawks in second half. After a sluggish first half resulted in a 19-19 tie, the Seahawks pushed the tempo and built up a solid lead behind top-scorer Curtis Keys (18 points). Ammoury shook off his first-half hardships for 15 second-half points, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Seahawks.
Ammoury finished with 19 points to lead the Highlanders, while Alex Russomono scored eight.
Local High School Hoops Coaches Going Pink
All Northern Virginia region women’s basketball coaches and teams will be sporting a rosier hue on the court in a couple of weeks. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is sponsoring a global “Think Pink” week from Feb. 8-17 to raise breast cancer awareness among fans and players alike. Coaches from competing teams are encouraged to choose a specific game day that falls within the scheduled week for both teams to model their pink uniforms and gear while they battle it out for a bigger cause.
The collaborative wearing of the pink has been proposed in hopes to “unite against a common opponent,” according to Women’s Basketball Coach Noel Klippenstein of George C. Marshall High School. This will be the second year that the “Think Pink” program has been in existence and the second time around that area coaches have participated in the movement. For more information, or if you’d like to know how your team can get involved, visit www.wbca.org/thinkpink.asp.
