Marshall Boys Hoops
The Marshall Statesmen found themselves in a defensive battle at South Lakes on Thursday night, ultimately falling to the Seahawks, 44-37. South Lakes entered halftime with a four point lead, up 26-22, and after the half, both teams began playing lockdown defense to lead to a low-scoring affair. Despite five three-pointers as a team, and sophomore forward Daniel McClain’s 16 point night, the Statesmen could not pull together as a team and gut the victory out. South Lakes benefited from 17 trips to the free throw line compared to Marshall’s two, as the free throw differential gave the Seahawks enough points to decide the game.
J.E.B. Stuart Boys Hoops
The Raiders’ four-game win streak was snapped on Friday night on the road against first place Mt. Vernon, as they lost 76-72, marking Stuart’s second close loss against the Majors this season. The first loss came in double-overtime. Sophomore guard Antonio Harris lit up the Majors with a game-high 23 points, including four three-pointers, but the offensive prowess of the Majors proved too great in the second half. Stuart went into halftime with a 34-29 lead, however the Majors came out firing in the second half and ended the game with four scorers in double-digits and with six players with eight points or more. The Raiders had four double-digit scorers themselves.
On Monday, the Raiders quickly bounced back against then-second place in the National Conference Yorktown at home, winning 59-51. Junior forward Mahamed Ibrahim dropped 18 points on the Patriots, with Harris contributing 14 of his own. The real story from this game was free throw shooting. The Raiders only scored 12 field goals in the game, however 42 trips to the free throw line and 29 successful conversions gave them more than enough points to pull out the “W.” The team scored nearly half their points on foul shots altogether.
The split for the week brought Stuart’s record up to 13-7 overall, 7-4 in conference, good for a tie for second place as of Monday night.
The Raiders finish their season off on the road at Washington-Lee on Thursday night.
Falls Church Boys Hoops
The Falls Church Jaguars had another tough week, as they fell to 1-20 overall and 1-11 in their district on the season.
On Friday night, the Jags traveled to Wakefield to take on the Wolverines, but proved no match as they fell, 65-36. The Wolverines drained four three-pointers in the game and featured three double-digit scorers. Junior center Travis Garrett scored 10 points as Falls Church’s only double-digit scorer. Adding to the Jags’ troubles, they shot 6-17 from the line as a team.
Monday night proved a little more climactic for the Jags, but ultimately ended in the same fashion. Edison came to the Jags’ gym and escaped with a 47-45 win. Both teams entered the second half at a 19-19 deadlock, and neither team shot particularly well from the free throw line — Edison shot 7 of 14, and Falls Church shot a slightly more consistent 6 of 11. Despite junior guard Sam Gerima scoring 14 and forward/center Evan Hansen adding 10, the Jags ultimately fell at the end by two points.
The Jags close out their season on Friday against Chantilly at home.
McLean Boys Hoops
After suffering two tough losses last week to Liberty Conference opponents, the McLean Highlanders were looking to right the ship.
A home game with Stone Bridge on Thursday night was exactly what the doctor ordered, as McLean got back to its winning ways, beating the Bulldogs 59-47. Each team drained six three-pointers and had three double-digit scorers, but the Bulldogs simply had no answer for the balance of McLean's attack.
Senior guard/forward Tarek Ammoury led the Highlanders once again with 18 points, going a perfect 5 for 5 from the free throw line, while senior guard Peter Kenellias contributed 14 and sophomore Sean Fitzgerald added 11. The Highlanders coasted to a 27-19 lead by halftime and kept the offense going in the second half to keep the Bulldogs on their heels for the entire game.
On Tuesday night, the McLean boys kept their momentum rolling as the Marshall Statesmen rolled into their gym, as McLean claimed a 59-38 win that was closer than the final score indicates … for a half anyway. McLean went into halftime with a 27-26 lead, but pulled away in the second, holding Marshall to just 12 points in the final 16 minutes. Ammoury had one of his best games of his career, shooting 8 for 10 from the free throw line and hitting 11 buckets on his way to 30 points, nearly outscoring the entire Marshall team single-handedly. Marshall drained four threes in the game, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the Statesmen to overcome the Highlanders.
The two wins from the week put McLean firmly in fifth in the Liberty District, with a 7-6 district record and a 12-9 overall mark for the season, while Marshall dropped to 6-15 on the season.
J.E.B. Stuart Girls Hoops
Following the game against #4 Edison last week, the J.E.B. Stuart girls were looking to clear their minds of that loss and get back to their winning ways; however, this week proved equally tough for the Lady Raiders.
On Thursday, the Mount Vernon Majors came to Stuart, and despite the home support, Mount Vernon rolled, 62-48. Senior post player Bianca Cesaratto did her best to keep her team competitive, scoring 21 points with the help of 14 trips to the free throw line, but Mount Vernon exploded out of the gates and had a near-insurmountable 13 point lead going into halftime. Three girls scored in the double-digits for offensively balanced Mount Vernon, while Cesaratto was the only to crack the double-digit plateau for Stuart.
Monday night must have felt like déjà vu for the Lady Raiders, as they traveled to Yorktown in hopes of avenging a particularly brutal 62-20 loss from earlier in the season. No such luck. They narrowed the point differential, but Yorktown still overwhelmed the Lady Raiders, winning 69-36. Cesaratto led the Lady Raiders for the second straight game with 15 points, again getting more than 10 trips to the free throw line. Unfortunately for Stuart, free throws would not be the difference in this one, as Yorktown scored 29 baskets compared to Stuart’s 12.
The losses dropped Stuart to 5-15 overall, 4-7 in conference. The Lady Raiders finish up their season on Thursday at home against Washington-Lee.
Falls Church Girls Hoops
The Lady Jaguars of Falls Church started turning their season around on Friday, picking up their second conference and third overall win of the season at home against Wakefield, winning 50-44. Wakefield, in the midst of its own brutal season (2-15, 1-10), could not contain senior guard Alison Gibbons of the Lady Jags, who scored a game-high 16 points after going a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line and draining a three-pointer to boot. Senior forward Valerie Gibbons and sophomore forward Victoria Welch each grabbed 11 rebounds, and the team play of Falls Church proved too great for Wakefield, despite having a 15-point scorer of their own.
On Monday night, Falls Church ran into the ever-terrifying powerhouse that is #4 Edison, who has compiled an 18-1 overall, 11-0 conference record thus far this season. The Lady Jags were no match for Edison, as they fell 96-41. Senior Almarys Ortiz led the Lady Jags with 15 points, and senior Claudia Valdivieso added 14; however, Edison unloaded their highest point total this season, thanks to the 29-point contribution of senior guard/forward Chasity Clayton and a 24-point outpouring from senior guard/forward Adria Crawford. Edison came out on fire, rolling to a 42-19 halftime lead, and leaving no doubt about who would leave victorious on Monday night.
The Lady Jags finish up their season on Friday night on the road against Chantilly, before the district tournament begins next Tuesday night.
McLean Girls Hoops
The McLean Lady Highlanders had a devastating start to the week last week, only to quickly pick themselves up and get above .500 in conference play once more.
On Thursday night, the Lady Highlanders traveled to Stone Bridge, one of the bottom feeders of the Liberty Conference this year. Stone Bridge refused to roll over and accept defeat, even after facing a four point deficit at halftime, and brought the game into overtime as the teams ended regulation tied 56-56. In the end, the home crowd willed Stone Bridge onto a victory, as they squeaked out a 62-61 win over McLean. Both teams had only six girls score points and each had three double-digit scorers. Freshman guard Andie Romness delivered with the team-high 15 points, the second time in as many weeks that she has led the team in scoring. Romness is quickly establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the Liberty Conference for the next few years.
Tuesday night’s trip to Marshall proved to be the medicine that McLean was desperately in need of, as they handled the Lady Statesmen 54-40. After a low-scoring first half, which featured McLean taking a 20-17 lead into halftime, McLean exploded offensively in the second half. The bench problems from last game were a non-factor in this one, as nine different girls scored for McLean, with senior forward Michelle Zimmerman leading the way with a game-high 13 points. Sharp free throw shooting helped McLean’s cause, as they took 23 trips to the charity stripe compared to Marshall’s six. Marshall, which had seemed to be turning its season around, did drain five three-pointers in the game, but McLean’s bench scoring proved the difference.
The split week moved McLean to a 12-9 overall record, 7-6 in conference, while Marshall fell to 6-14 overall, 2-11 in conference. McLean finishes its season with a home game on Friday against South Lakes, while Marshall ends their season on the road on Friday against Langley.
Marshall Girls
After beginning to pick up steam last week in their attempt to salvage the season, Marshall appeared to be on the right track heading into the final few games of the season. However, tough play from their opponents proved too much for the Lady Statesmen, as they dropped both games last week at home.
On Thursday, South Lakes came to play the Lady Statesmen, as Marshall was looking to add to its two-game win streak. It was not to be, as Marshall fell in a close fight, 51-49. Despite rallying from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit, even taking a one-point lead, South Lakes’ Kelcyn Manurs drove the lane with 13 seconds left and scored the game-winning layup. Manurs led all scorers with 22 points on the game, including all three of her team’s three-pointers. Marshall was paced by three double-digit scorers, sophomore Carlie Zirkle had a team-high 13, senior Ali Johnson added 12 and junior Kathleen Felter contributed 11 of her own.
Trinity School at Meadow View Girls and Boys Hoops
Trinity School at Meadow View Boys and Girls Basketball teams remain undefeated in their division, as they met Trinity Christian School on the court Friday, February 6 and each team won. The girls team, coached by David Cox, Erin Johnson, Vicki Landersman and John O’Bierne, took the championship last year and are hoping to have a repeat performance this year. The final score of the girls game was 39-21.
The boys’ team, coached by Ron Kerstetter, Mark Lokke and Jim Mysliewiec also have strong junior and sophomore players in the starting line up. The final score of their game was 58-38. Both teams have one game remaining in the regular season.
