J.E.B. Stuart High School Boys Basketball

Raiders remain undefeated in convincing win over

Wolverines

On Friday night the Raiders downed host West Potomac in a non-district contest, 66-49, led by the sharp-shooting of junior Antonio Harris.

Harris, the head coach’s son, was the catalyst in a 19-10 run throughout the third quarter that cemented the win for Stuart, finishing with 17 points on the night to lead all scorers. Three other Raider players tallied double-digit point totals, including junior William Ford, who netted 14 points on 8-13 free-throw shooting, senior Raymond Watson (14 points), and senior Mo Ibrahim (12 points). A tightly-contested battle between the two squads in the first half ended with the Raiders on top going into the break, 28-25. However, critical shots from the charity stripe down the stretch allowed Stuart to keep their perfect record in tact. The Raiders move to 4-0 on their winter campaign, and looked to remain hot on Tuesday when they hosted the Falls Church Jaguars. Results were not available at press time.

Marshall High School Swimming & Diving

Hashemi breaks school record in dual meet loss

Last Friday the Marshall swim & dive team suffered a loss in a dual meet with W.T. Woodson High School, as the boys were downed 210-98, followed promptly by a 233-69 defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers.

However, impressive personal finishes were posted across the board for the Statesmen, led by freshman Cyrus Hashemi. Hashemi shattered the school record in the 500-yard freestyle, posting a time of 4:48.03 to win by nearly 40 seconds. The young standout also took first in the 100-yard freestyle in 52.63 seconds.

Other winners on the boys’ side included junior George Hirka, who placed first in the 100-yard butterfly, winning by just over four seconds, as well as taking second in the 200-yard freestyle. Hirka also swam the first leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay team, teaming up with freshman brother Logan Hirka, Hashemi, and junior Andy Riley.

On the girls’ side, Marshall received a solid performance from sophomore Leah Noordhuizen, who was a two-time runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. Freshman Katherine Van Winkle took second in the diving event, while sophomore Elaine Bennett took second in the 100-yard backstroke. The Statesmen have one more meet before they hang up their Speedos for the holiday season, as they hit the waters against Langley High School this Friday at Spring Hill Rec Center.

McLean High School Boys’ Basketball

Highlanders net first win of season over Wildcats, 72-62

The Varsity Basketball team won their first game of the year on Friday night, downing Centreville High School in a thrilling non-district 72-62 overtime contest.

After opening the season with three straight losses-one to local rival Stuart High School and two in a holiday tournament in Myrtle Beach-the win over the Wildcats served as a confidence booster for a young and smaller Highlander squad.

Senior Peter Brosnan provided the turning point in the contest, connecting on a long bomb from beyond the arc as time wound down in the third quarter, pulling McLean within three points.

The Highlanders then used that momentum to surge back in the final period, capped off by senior center Ben Glauber’s game-tying three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. However, Centreville quickly turned the game on its heels, notching a quick bucket to pull ahead as time wound down.

On an in-bounds play with six seconds remaining, Highlander Sean Fitzgerald gathered an errant shot and was fouled as time expired. The junior then calmly drained both free-throws to send the game into overtime, as McLean used some clutch shooting from the line to garner their first win of the season. The Highlanders, albeit an undersized squad, rode the hot shooting of senior Matt Baruch (18 points on five three-pointers) and Brosnan (22 points) to their comeback victory. McLean (1-3) looked to continue their winning ways on Tuesday, when they took on Liberty District rival Thomas Jefferson High School. Results were not available at press time.

Falls Church High School Swimming & Diving

Jaguars gain redemption in first home meet of season

In swimming, a team can often pull out victories without an abundance of first-place finishes, relying instead on depth to rack up points throughout the meet.

The Falls Church boys’ swim and dive team displayed this strategy in full force on Friday night, downing Edison High School, the defending National District champion, 173-139 in the Jaguars’ first home meet of the year.

While Falls Church only had three winners, second and third-place finishes across the board allowed them to cement the victory over the Eagles. Junior David Blincoe, took first in the 100-yard backstroke, and was a member of the 400-yard freestyle relay team, teaming up with senior tri-captains Scott Silvester and Alek Anderson and junior Alex Howe to win the race. Senior Paul Cossack took first in the 100-yard breaststroke to round out the winners for the Jaguars. Despite the shortage of winners, second-place finishes by Anderson (200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly), Blincoe (50-yard freestyle), Howe (200- and 500-yard freestyle), and Silvester (100-yard freestyle) allowed Falls Church to surge ahead late in the meet and earn their first win of the season. Third place finishes were turned in by Cossack in the 200-yard individual medley, Silvester in the 200-yard freestyle, senior Andy Fernandez in the 100-yard butterfly, senior tri-captain Andrew Frank in the 100-yard freestyle and butterfly, and senior Daniel Healey in the 100-yard backstroke.

On the girls’ side, the Jaguars needed no such depth to down Edison, a squad which had defeated Falls Church last season by a mere two points. The Jaguars came out strong from the opening race, winning in convincing fashion, 185-129. Freshman Maggie Cullather remained undefeated in the diving events, taking first to kick off the dual meet.

The 200-yard medley relay team of sophomore Clara Dombroski, senior Jenny Moore, sophomore Emily Sturges, and junior Kristina Clingaman took first in the opening swim event. Cullather showcased her capabilities in the water as well, placing first in the 200-yard individual medley as well as anchoring the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team of Clingaman, Sturges, and freshman Shelley Kendall. Other winners included Sturges in the 100-yard butterfly, Moore in the 500-yard freestyle, and Dombroski in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. Before taking a break for Winter Recess, the Jaguars will take on host Wakefield High School in a National District contest on Friday evening.