On Friday, Jan. 12, the McLean Highlanders boys varsity basketball team was defeated on the road against the arch-rival Langley Saxons by a score of 60-53.

The surprising young 5-7 McLean team was coming off a monster win at Herndon three nights before, where junior Evan Stout’s 30 points led the Highlanders to their first win in Hornet country in over 25 years. Langley, at 6-6, had won three of four heading into the contest, fresh off a 10 point win over Yorktown.

The game was a tug of war for the first three quarters, with a number of lead changes before Langley eventually went up 36-34 with four minutes left in the third and never looked back.

McLean headed into the final quarter down just 44-41 and were even down three again with less than two minutes to play, but the Saxons scored six unanswered points to seal the win.

Senior guards Chase Beckett and Colter Carlton led the Saxons in scoring with 21 and 15 points respectively, while McLean junior point guard Matias Prock dropped 25 points with the help of six three pointers.

It was a tough loss for the Highlanders, but they hope to shake it off and regain momentum down the stretch.

“One game does not define a season,” McLean junior forward Evan Stout said. “It would have been amazing to beat Langley at their place but we have to remain focused and move on to the next game.”

The crosstown rivals will meet again on Friday, Jan. 25 at McLean for a rematch.