After the rough two games that were Northwest and Magruder for Varsity, they need to claim the two away games as their own . JV was riding on a high heading on the road and had an out of character performance before redeeming themselves against Northwood . Varsity 100% won the Battle of Bethesda, taking both schools by storm and showing they are not to be messed with when they put their mind to something . Between both of these games, every single player from both rosters hit the floor to get some playing time, something that hadn’t happened all season. Walter Johnson on a Friday and Northwood on a Tuesday, after having Monday off, were both not exactly setting the teams up for success, but they got the job done.
Walter Johnson Jan. 16
JV:
Losing on the road, breaking their three-game win streak, JV struggled against Walter Johnson. The ending score was 47-22, making their record six-to-four.
The starting five contained Marco Pomegne, Jasola Ladipo, Nate Kellner, Caden Shiflett and Julio Emperado. Jacboi Wilson made his way off the bench this quarter but didn’t make an impact. The only one who did was Shiflett with one layup. Kellner also had a block this quarter but those would be the only two points the team scored this quarter and they ended the quarter trailing eight to two.
The second quarter wasn’t much better than the first The team only had three points this quarter: a jumpshot from Ladioo and a free throw from Wilson. Pomegne had a block this quarter but it was overall very slow. The defense was off this quarter with WJ jumping to 21 points, making the score going into halftime 21 to five.
The third quarter saw a rise in points from the Hornets; six points were scored by three different people. Wilson added to his free throw with a layup, Kellner had a layup and Pomegne had a jumpshot. However, the defense still wasn’t there as WJ continued to rack up points ending the quarter 36-11.
Owen Hawkins, who came onto the court in the second quarter, made an impact with a signature three-pointer and a steal to start the final quarte . Kellner made two free throws and more faces hit the court to make an impact. Chance Richards, who also hit the floor in the second quarter, had two layups. Connor Gittins, Jayden Fernando, Clive Mallari, Joey Giove and Kenneth Ansah all came off the bench but only Mallari had a layup to make an impact.
This was a game to forget for the team, with all of the magic gone. It was a slow game for all of the starters and even when people were coming off the bench, nothing was working. The team needs to figure out the problem and address it, fast.
Varsity:
In a fast-paced and aggressive game, the Hornets ultimately came out on top of the Wildcats, winning 58-53. This makes their record six-to-four.
For the first time all season, the starting five changed. Avery Richardson, Jayden Thompson, EJ Simpson and Tony DeStefano took the floor but they had new company. Devin Quarles filled in for Ethan Ray. Simpson stepped up to do the jump ball and they were off. Simpson had a layup this quarter, DeStefano had a layup and took a strong charge. Thompson followed that up with a three-pointer and he also had a layup later on. Richardson had a jumpshot this quarter and subs hit the floor. Kyree Jackson and Dorian Green made their way in, with Jackson having a layup towards the end of the quarter. The Hornets had a strong quarter defensively, having nine unanswered points to start the game. The team ended the quarter ahead 13 to nine.
The second quarter was Thompson’s with a layup, free throw, jumpshot and assist to DeStefano’s layup of the quarter. Richardson had a jumpshot as did Simpson and Simpson also had a three-pointer. The quarter got a little closer heading into halftime with the Hornets barely ahead 27-24.
Ray finally got in as the third quarter began, looking energized and ready to go. Ray had a layup, a jumpshot, a block, a three-pointer and two free throws. Simpson was the only other player to make a contribution this quarter point-wise, having a three quick into the this quarter. WJ came back this quarter and by the eight minutes were up, both teams had a steady 39 points.
The final quarter was stressful to say the least. The Hornets were off to a strong start with Quarles having a steal and DeStefano having a block. DeStefano followed it up with a layup and with 5:10 left on the clock, it was tied at 41. Damascus pulled away, though with Thompson having a three-pointer and a layup. Ray had a layup and with 2:53 on the clock, Damascus was at 48 points while holding WJ to just 42. The next minute was when it got close. DeStefano had a layup and Ray had another layup but the team allowed eight points really quickly. With 1:41 on the clock, it was a two-point game in Damascus favor, 52-50. Ray quickly hit a jumpshot, Richardson took a charge and with 51.6 on the clock, Damascus was up 54-50. DeStefano and Thompson were both fouled in the remaining time, both making one of their two free throws. With 28 seconds left, Damascus was up 56-50. The end of the game had everyone buzzing and it could go either way. WJ hit one more three and the clock ran down, sealing the win for Damascus.
Although Ray came off the bench, he was the lead scorer in this game with 17 points. The game was exactly how Damascus needed to show up after such a rough week and to win away from home is always a treat.
Northwood Jan. 20
JV:
The energy was through the roof at Northwood and Damascus came to win. JV started the night off strong, winning 61-27 and seeing everyone on the court once again. This makes their record seven-to-four.
The starting five saw the return of Wilsin, along with Pomegne, Ladipo, Kellner and Emperado . This was the first time all season that Shiflett didn’t start but he was the first sub in. Kellner took the jump ball, getting it to Pomegne for the first points of the game. Wilson had a dominant first quarter with a layup, two free throws and one jump shot. Emperado had a steal, Kellner had two free throws. Along with Shiflett, Hawkins, Richards, Fernando, Gittins, Mallari and Muhammad Fofana made their way in. Hawkins hit his signature three-pointer and Shiflett had a three-pointer as well. Fofana had a layup and one free throw, Gittins had a layup and Richards had a layup. The team ended the quarter holding Northwood to only six points while scoring 25.
The second quarter started with a layup for Gittins, followed by a layup from Fofana. Fernando had a strong quarter with a three-pointer and a layup. Mallari had one free throw this quarter and more faces made their way off the bench. Ansah, Giove and sophomore Joisah Budd made their way onto the court. Giove had the strongest performance of the bunch with two free throws, a layup and a three-point shot. Defesne stayed up this quarter, holding Northwood to only six points yet again, but extending their total to 44.
The second half was a lot slower than the first with defense backing off but the bench players were still getting valuable points and playing time. Gittins had two layups to start the third quarter, Hawkins hit his signature three and Giove had a free throw. The team only scored ten points this quarter but allowed eight from Northwood, making the score going into the final quarter 54-20.
The final quarter was all Fernando with him having a three-pointer and a free throw. Northwood managed to put up seven more points on a running clock and JV celebrated the win after the tough game against WJ .
Varsity:
Another game where everyone got to see the court and it was controlled by the Hornets from start to finish. The boys won 69-39, winning the battle of Bethesda. This makes their record seven-to-four.
The starting five was back to normal this game, Richardson, Thompson, Simpson, Ray and DeStefano lined up, ready to go. The boys were hyping up the JV team before they had to head back to change and everyone was smiling ear to ear. Ray took the jumpball and they were off. Richardson had the first points, a layup with an assist from Simpson and another layup later in the quarter. Richardson was also using a new defensive technique that hadn’t been seen previously, being extremely vocal on defense and really any time the ball was in the other team’s hands. Ray had three layups, three free throws, a block and a steal and Thompson had a three-pointer and two free throws. The boys had an 11-0 run for the first four minutes of the game and a strong defensive stop with 3:35 left on the clock. Quarles and Green saw the court but had no points. They held Northwood to only three points this quarter, while scoring 18 themselves.
Thompson started the second quarter off with free throws and Jackson saw his way in, making an impact immediately. Thompson also had a layup later in the quarter. Green had a jumpshot, Ray made all four of his free throws and had a steal leading to yet another in-game dunk. Simpson had a three-pointer and a layup and Quarles had a layup as well. Defense wasn’t as tight this quarter with the team allowing 18 points. They went into halftime leading 42-20.
Richardson saw the points allowed in the second quarter and picked right back up with his defensive strategy to start the third. He had a jumpshot early on and kept the team’s energy high. DeStefano had a layup this quarter, as well as two free throws. Ray had a block and a layup, Simpson had a three-pointer and Green had one free throw as well as a layup. Thompson had a strong quarter with a layup, steal, block and two free throws. The boys were all smiles this quarter, bringing their total up to 60 while keeping Northwood at 28.
The final quarter was slow for both teams with Damascus scoring nine and Northwood scoring 11. It became a running clock due to the Hornets’ lead and the shot clock was also turned off. Points this quarter were scored by Ray and Jackson with both of them having a layup as well as a three-pointer from Ray and a jumpshot from Jackson. Four more players got onto the court this game: Ellis Brown, Issac Brown, Kasai Hiev-Maddsion and Cole Birch. None of them scored any points due to the running clock.
Overall, the energy from these two games, especially Varisty, was through the roof . The boys were having fun while they were playing, bringing a new light to the games and showing their chemistry. JV had a tough game but bounced back well. Varsity is hoping to carry its winning streak into “the Hive” when they take on Rockville Jan. 23, while JV is hoping to make a winning streak of its own.
