On Friday night the McLean Highlanders shot 32% from the field, 18% from three-point range, 64% from the line, and had no one score in double figures.
The result was a 15-point road win over rival Langley.
The reason was defense. The Highlanders put the clamps on the Saxons’ offensive attack all night, holding their hosts to nine field goals and two assists the entire game in a 42-27 victory.
“I thought our kids played outstanding,” said McLean coach Mike O’Brien. “The kids executed the game plan, individually and collectively.”
As usual, the gym was packed for one of the best rivalry games in Northern Virginia. Both teams were intense early, but that did not translate into many points. It was 6-5 McLean after the first quarter, and the Highlanders held the Saxons scoreless for most of the second quarter. With just under two minutes left in the half after seeing his team pass the ball fruitlessly around on offense with no looks at the basket, Langley coach Dave Conrow called a timeout in frustration.
At half, it was 13-7 McLean.
Langley shot 12% from the field in the first half. Things improved a bit in the second half, and the Saxons played pretty good defense themselves. Still, McLean was able to pull away in the fourth quarter after Langley had to foul and extend its defense in an effort to rally.
One reason for the difference in the game was rebounding. The Highlanders out-rebounded the Saxons 36-21, rarely allowing the Saxons second chances off their numerous misses. In contrast, especially late, McLean was effective retaining possession with offensive rebounds off shots they missed.
“We did say that we wanted to go after rebounds on both ends of the floor,” said O’Brien when asked about his gameplan. “We thought we could get second chance points on the offensive end.”
It was a strong team effort from McLean (1-1, 5-2), who lost starting junior guard Jeremy Fuchs to a knee injury for the year in the preseason. Caffrey Eaton and Maxwell Warrell had very solid games off the bench, totaling 15 points between them. Senior Daniel Fimbres and junior Isaac Bell had nice games, and senior point guard Jakob Luu, one of the smallest players on the floor, led the Highlanders’ rebounding with nine.
“Biggest heart in the whole district,” O’Brien said of Luu. “Kid plays out of his mind–for as small as he is, he plays bigger than anybody.”
As bad as the night went offensively for the Saxons (0-2, 2-5), they were able to stay within a couple of possessions of McLean for most of the game. They were led by guards Brendan Mansinne and Ryan Bradshaw with eight points apiece.
—Chris Jollay
all stats are unofficial
| LANGLEY | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| CARTON | 0-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MANSINNE | 3-12 | 0-0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | |
| SARGEANT | 1-10 | 2-2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| BRADSHAW | 3-10 | 2-5 | 8 | 3 | 1 | |
| KELLY | 1-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Macchiavello | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Watson | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Krawczyk | 1-6 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| Khera | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kordziel | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Campbell | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Shamloo | 0-1 | 2-2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Thompson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 9-51 | 6-10 | 27 | 21 | 2 | |
| Threes: Mansinne 2-8, Krawczyk 1-3, Shamloo 0-1, Sargeant 0-2, Kordziel 0-2, Bradshaw 0-3, Carton 0-5 | ||||||
| McLEAN | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| LUU | 1-6 | 1-4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | |
| FIMBRES | 3-7 | 2-2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | |
| SULLIVAN | 1-5 | 0-1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
| BELL | 2-3 | 3-4 | 7 | 5 | 0 | |
| HIGGINS | 1-4 | 3-4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| John | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eaton | 2-6 | 5-8 | 9 | 7 | 0 | |
| Warrell | 2-3 | 2-2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | |
| Bowser | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 12-37 | 16-25 | 42 | 36 | 7 | |
| Threes: Luu 1-3, Sullivan 1-3, John 0-3, Eaton 0-2 | ||||||