HammerZone Sports Holiday Hoopfest
McLean is often mentioned as a dark horse to make some playoff noise. The Highlanders, however, started the season inconsistently with a double-digit loss to Centreville and a loss to Chantilly. Going into the HammerZone Sports Holiday Hoopfest at Fairfax, the Highlanders had four total losses, and in the first round Mike O’Brien’s team trailed 17-4 to Princess Anne from the 757.
Then, the Highlanders showed why they are dangerous. After weathering the initial run from Princess Anne, McLean got solid play from its starters and reserves to rally and win. The next night they defeated a solid Robinson team by double digits. McLean then faced host Fairfax in the Championship, a team they had beaten 48-41 earlier in the season.
It’s rarely easy to beat Fairfax twice, but that’s exactly what the Highlanders did, using a second half run to blow open a close game and win, 61-34.
McLean forward Isaac Bell was named tournament MVP. He’s a relentless, athletic player that can operate inside and handle the ball on the perimeter. Jeremy Fuchs, who missed last year to injury, is a senior who can get you key baskets and get to the line almost at will. Maxwell Mullen, Caffrey Eaton, and Rece Bowser are other names you might know, and freshman Simas Kacerauskas is already unafraid of the moment. The Highlanders’ bench is deeper than expected. They generally play good defense. They’re showing the ability to survive more physical teams. In short, they’re pretty good.
As is the Liberty District this season. Favorite Marshall has already suffered a loss to Yorktown, while McLean has been beaten by Wakefield. Should be a fun race for the Liberty crown, and speaking of Wakefield…
George Long
At George Long there was once again a strong field, and Wakefield had a chance to win its home tournament for the first time since 2015 against powerful Oscar Smith from Chesapeake. Oscar Smith had beaten South County by a point in the first round of the tournament, while the Warriors stopped Falls Church and Colonial Forge to advance.
Unfortunately Wakefield senior star Carlton Young got two fouls early and Coach Tony Bentley had to sit him for a long stretch. Oscar Smith took a double-digit lead and never looked back. The Warriors couldn’t hit free throws, and their young guards couldn’t produce enough against Oscar Smith’s talented guards with Young on the bench to make hay.
Still, Wakefield is a contender. The Warriors frontline duo of Young and Miles Hancock is formidable, especially in the Liberty, and their guards are talented, although there is some inexperience.
Elsewhere in the Area
Briar Woods hosted an inaugural holiday tournament and got a title win with a nice victory over Massaponax, which had beaten a solid Riverside team earlier in the festivities. The Falcons were powered by a couple of sophomores, Ryan Brzezanski and Devon Pettibone. Brzezanski, a forward, averaged 15 a game and almost rebounds a game in the Falcons’ three wins, while Pettibone averaged 12 a game.
In the Potomac District, it’s undefeated Potomac Falls’ district to lose, but behind the Panthers it is wide open. Are the Falcons ready to grab a spot near the top of the district? It sure seems that way. Briar Woods is relatively young, but they do have some key seniors like Parker and Colton Auch, and the Falcons can defend.
At Mount Vernon, undefeated Seton took the title over a much-improved and physical Majors team. If you haven’t seen Seton, we recommend it–they’re not incredibly deep, especially up front, but they’re very talented and play hard. The Conquistadors are worth the price of admission.
At the Bulldog Bash, an out-of-towner took the festivities with a win over John Champe in the title game. Still, the Knights impressed with a victory over host Westfield.
At Lake Braddock, Flint Hill was favored to win the tournament and did, but it wasn’t easy. We saw Woodgrove defeat Lake Braddock the night before by double-digits, and thought if the Wolverines could play that hard against the Huskies, they would have a chance. Sure enough, they did, and Flint Hill had to fight to pull out an 81-79 overtime victory.
Woodgrove fell to 6-2, but they’re going to be a problem in the newly-created Catoctin District. Broad Run and Champe are solid, but the Wolverines might be considered the favorites now. Meanwhile Kobe Davis, who transferred from Wakefield, was tournament MVP for the Huskies. Flint Hill now embarks on the meat of its MAC schedule, which to say the least will be highly challenging.
Road Trips
Northern Virginia teams again repped the area well at out-of-town tournaments. Up at Governor’s Challenge Hayfield and South Lakes split their respective games. Hayfield continues to improve rapidly, and gave powerful Largo (MD) a run. Fairfax Christian lost its first game of the year, but that was a double overtime loss to Rock Creek Christian Academy, which is certainly no shame.
Gainesville made it to the title game of Henrico’s tournament before falling in a tough one to the host Warriors. Lots of teams went down to the Carolinas and Florida and had success, winning most if not all of their games: Marshall, Madison, O’Connell, Loudoun Valley, Tuscarora, and others. Tuscarora’s Jayden Johnson set a school single-game scoring record (40) in a win at the M.L. Carr Tournament in North Carolina, a tournament the Huskies went on to win.
Even if you know what’s coming with Johnson, he’s hard if not impossible to stop. When you haven’t seen him before, we can only imagine!
–Chris Jollay