The boys ended the season with a winning record, 14 wins and eight losses, with six of those wins being divisional and four losses in that category as well. The team worked together well as a unit and was extremely fun to watch when they flipped the special switch. According to Maxpreps.com, here are the stat run downs for each player this year.
AVERY RICHARDSON, JUNIOR GUARD, #0
Richardson, on average, played 24.3 minutes per game and in those minutes, averaged 5.8 points. Richardson averaged .8 rebounds per game as well. What the stats don’t show is how impactful Richardson was defensively. He kept the energy moving forward and introduced the screaming against Northwood at Northwood that helped the team keep the victory. MaxPreps has Richardson only playing eight games but he was present at all 20 regular season games, as well as the two playoff games. Richardson is a junior so keep an eye out for him next year.
JAYDEN THOMPSON, CAPTAIN, SENIOR GUARD, #1
Thompson, on average, played 28.7 minutes per game and in those minutes, averaged 14.2 points. Thompson averaged 5.3 rebounds per game, as well as holding the other team to 4.7 points per 100 possessions. Thompson also averaged three assists per game and 3.6 steals per game. Thompson had a strong senior year, leading the team both on and off the court as captain. Although he had some rough games, he had a lot of strong performances to counteract it. MaxPreps has Thompson playing all 20 regular season games and he was starting every single game this season, without a doubt. Thompson’s presence will be missed next year, as he’s a strong ball handler and knows how to run the offense like the back of his hand. As of right now, Thompson has not made a decision about his future plans.
EJ SIMPSON, JUNIOR GUARD, #2
Simpson, on average, played 26.7 minutes per game and in those minutes, averaged 8.2 points. Simpson averaged 3.8 assists per game, as well as 3.1 rebounds per game. Simpson had a rough season, with high highs and low lows. His strongest performance was against Clarksburg, where he scored 19 points and shut the Coyotes down on their senior night. Simpson struggled against Magruder a second time, having frequent turnovers. MaxPreps has Simpson playing 19 out of 20 regular season games, where he missed the Watkins Mill game at Watkins Mill due to injury recovery. Beside that game, Simpson has started every other time he’s been in uniform. Simpson is a junior so keep an eye out for him next year.
ETHAN RAY, CAPTAIN, JUNIOR GUARD, #3
Ray, on average, played 25.3 minutes per game and in those minutes, averaged 21.3 points, the team’s leading scorer. Ray averaged 2.1 assists per game, as well as 4.9 rebounds. Ray had a strong season with a couple of rough moments, one being the Magruder game at home. He started the season off with a bang, scoring 33 points against Churchill at Churchill, and setting the tone for the rest of the season. Ray is leading the team in almost every aspect on the charts and got to be a captain alongside Thompson this year in preparation for his role next year. MaxPreps has Ray playing all 20 regular season games and he started all but one, even on Senior night. Ray has, without a doubt, been a driving force of this team’s success this year and will continue to make an impact next year as he is just a junior. Keep an eye on him.
KYREE JACKSON, SOPHOMORE GUARD, #4
Jackson, on average, played 9.5 minutes throughout the season and in those minutes, averaged 3.3 points. Jackson averaged one assist per game and 2.1 rebounds per game. Jackson, normally the sixth man, got a chance to start during the Watkins Mill game in place of Simpson and did not disappoint. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds, making it his first double double of his varsity career. Jackson is another ball handler and plays well on defense. Unfortunately, due to an injury, Jackson’s season was cut short and he missed the playoffs and the Clarksburg game. MaxPreps has Jackson playing 16 games this season and he brought energy onto the court from the bench when he did play. Jackson is one of the two underclass men on the team so keep an eye out for him for a couple years to come.
TONY DeSTEFANO, FRESHMAN FORWARD, #5
DeStefano, on average, played 20.2 minutes per game and in those minutes, averaged 5.6 points per game. DeStefano averaged one point three assists per game, as well as 3.5 rebounds and .6 blocks per game. DeStefano was a breath of fresh air to this squad, having grown up in Clarksburg and not gone through the Damascus way of schools. DeStefano, standing at six foot six inches, was strong defensively this year, taking charges left and right. He started the season off strong, being the second led scorer against Churchill and didn’t look back. On a plethora of occasions, DeStefano was either the lead scorer for a quarter or the second or third lead scorer for the entire game. DeStefano outscored the entire Watkins Mill team in the first quarter of the divisional rematch and that set the tone for the rest of the game. MaxPreps has DeStefano playing all 20 games,and he started every single game except for Senior night, including both playoff games. DeStefano is a true freshman, meaning he hasn’t reclassified at all so keep an eye out for him his next three years of high school.
SEASON WIDE
Leading the team in points, Ray scored 425 points throughout the season and second place wasn’t even within a 100 points. Thompson is in second place with 284 points and another 100 behind is Simpson with 156. Simpson however leads in assists with 73, followed by Thompson with 60 and Ray with 41. Heading over to rebounds, Thompson leads this category, despite being one of the smaller players on the team, with 105 total. Ray is right behind him with 97 and bringing up the rear is DeStefano, making his mark with 70 rebounds. In terms of steals, Ray led this as well with 32 but Thompson is right behind him with 31. Simpson used his speed to make the most out of his 28 steals throughout the games he played. Finally, in terms of blocks, the freshman leads the pack with 13 blocks, followed by eight by Ray and seven by Simpson.
