We haven’t seen our boys’ basketball team in action at home since March 4, when we suffered a devastating loss to Oakdale high school in the state quarterfinals. Last night we defeated Poolesville in The Hive with a 59-43 win. This follows a nine point victory against Wheaton last Friday.

   The Hornets started off hot, icing both of their three point and free throw attempts in the opening quarter, along with shooting over 55% from the field. This marksmanship gave us a 16-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. Shooting at that high of a clip across four quarters is tough to do, but The Hornets nearly did it, only letting their team field goal percentage drop to 47%. This nearly perfect beginning was crucial to last night’s success, as the boys had a tough time taking care of the ball in the second and third quarter, accumulating 15 of their 22 turnovers. Their efficient start gave them some room for error along with momentum, and without it the game would have been dangerously close.

   An aspect that was arguably just as impressive as our shooting efficiency was our defense. The Hornets managed to nab 10 steals and cause a countless number of offensive mistakes in a swarming man-to-man defensive set. The passes they couldn’t steal were at least tipped, disrupting a lot of Poolesville’s offensive possessions.  Junior guard Austin Raborg led the team in passes deflected with five. Senior Michael Baskerville had three steals and two blocks himself, one of those steals leading to the game’s only dunk, to which the student section lost their minds.

   As far as individual performances go, there weren’t many standout statlines. Seniors Peter Mangan, Michael Baskerville and Timmy Zalewski all had eight points. Senior Joey Lutz chimed in with nine. The team’s scoring was mostly evenly distributed, except for six-foot-six goliath and senior center Conor Shiflett. Number 20 recorded a monstrous double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds on an efficient 9/15 from the floor. The student section raved while watching Shiflett use his brute strength and knowledge of the game to get in position for crucial offensive rebounds, then take the ball right back up for a strong finish. 

   Shiflett and the rest of the Hornets took care of business in their home opener and are now on a two-game winning streak. Next Tuesday the boys are off to Rockville where they’ll take on the Thomas Wootton Patriots, who are fresh off of a win against Seneca Valley.

   Tickets are five dollars for anyone who’d like to attend next week’s game and support The Hornets on the road.

Stat Sheet