Langley #22
Langley Coach David Conrow calls senior Cade Girolamo (19 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks) "our engine" who "sets the tone."

Langley edges Wakefield for third straight win, 55-54

The Liberty District is a free-for-all after first place Yorktown this season, and a hot Langley team is starting to move up the standings.

On Monday night at home the Saxons defeated Wakefield for the team’s third straight Liberty District win and fourth in its last five games. The win put Langley (4-4, 7-10) in a tie with Wakefield and Marshall for second place in the district.

Langley fell behind early and trailed 29-23 at the half, but outscored Wakefield 15-5 in the third quarter. Senior Cade Girolamo was a big factor, as the senior started to get downhill and attack the rim. Girolamo scored 15 of his game-high 19 points after halftime.

“He’s our engine,” said Langley Coach David Conrow of Girolamo. “When he’s locked in and ready to go he sets the tone for the offense and the defense. When he’s ready to play I think he’s one of the best players in the district and he showed it tonight, and he’s showed it the last couple weeks.”

xccc
Josh Tyner (left) and Tyler Kim (right) force the pass from Wakefield’s Kooper Odar. The Langley defense held Wakefield to just five third quarter points.

Wakefield started to deny Girolamo the ball in the full court, but still trailed 48-41 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors unleashed a furious pressure defense and started to force Langley turnovers and mount a comeback. Down 54-51 late with under 15 seconds left Wakefield forced a bad pass, but Wakefield’s Shane Morrison missed a three-pointer in the open court that would have tied it. Girolamo then converted one-of-two free throws to ice the game, though Wakefield’s Gabe Henneman did bury a three with just over a second left.

Girolomo did it all for the Saxons, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and three assists. Sophomore guard Tyler Kim buried three treys and finished with 11 points, and junior forward-center Josh Tyner added 11 points and seven rebounds–including a couple of key baskets down the stretch. Sophomore Jameel Baig had six of his team’s 12 points off the bench with two three-pointers that kept the Saxons close in the first half.

The game showed how far the Saxons have come since the teams’ last meeting, a 59-36 Wakefield win in December.

“We made some tweaks to the offense and defense at the winter break,” said Conrow of his team’s improvement. “But the biggest thing is the guys have stuck together, believing in themselves, believing in each other, and just kind of sticking with the scheme and what the coaches are trying to implement.”

“It’s clicking at the right time for us.”

Wakefield (4-4, 9-8), like Langley, got balanced production from the starting lineup and the bench, as all nine Warriors who played scored. Senior guard Antonio Posey led the way with 13 points, and the smaller guard impressed on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds. Late in the game he sustained a lower body injury that did not appear to be too severe, but could keep him out for a few games.

–Chris Jollay

all statistics are unofficial

WAKEFIELD FG FT TP REB AST
POSEY 4-9 3-6  13  10  0
POOLE 2-12 0-0  4  2  2
MORRISON 1-4 6-9  8  5  1
ODAR 3-6 0-0  7  2  1
HENNEMAN 3-10 3-6  10  7  2
Beaty 3-9 0-0  6  0  1
Amadou 0-0 2-2  2  2  1
Ledbetter 1-4 0-0  2  2  0
Carter 1-1 0-0  2  0  0
TOTALS 18-55 14-23  54  30  8
Threes: Posey 2-2, Odar 1-1, Henneman 1-2, Morrison 0-1, Beaty 0-1, Poole 0-5
LANGLEY FG FT TP REB AST
REARDON 0-1 0-0  0   4   1
KIM 4-8 0-0  11   3   0
BROWN 1-3 0-0  2   2   2
GIROLAMO 9-16 1-2  19   11   3
TYNER 5-10 1-4  11   7   1
Tyler 1-2 0-2  2   4   3
Conver 1-1 0-0  2   0   0
Baig 2-6 0-0  6   1   0
Evans 1-3 0-0  2   2   1
TOTALS 24-50 2-8  55  34   11
Threes: Kim 3-5, Baig 2-5, Evans 0-1, Girolamo 0-2,        Brown 0-2