McLean wins, 78-37
After a junior varsity basketball win, the stands were packed with Highlanders sporting camo outfits and waiting anxiously for the long-awaited boys senior night game. As the varsity team came into the gym followed by the Herndon Hornets, cheers erupted from the student section.
10 minutes before the game started, the Highlanders honored their graduating seniors. Nine seniors walked down one by one with their family accompanying them, receiving flowers and a gift bag to celebrate their last season with the team. Seniors Josh John, Davis Sawyer, Jakob Luu, Daniel Fimbres, Matt Mondoro, Jimmy Higgins, Max Warrell, Demetrios Solomos and Quinn Sullivan were all applauded as the school observed their senior night tradition.
As the game started, the Hornets ran the ball down the court with the hopes of scoring early on in the game. Their hopes were dashed, however, when Sullivan took the ball and returned it for the first two points of the game. All throughout the first quarter, the Hornets tried desperately to score, but every single shot was missed.
As Herndon faced struggles in the first quarter, the Highlanders gained confidence for the game and the crowd grew more and more enthusiastic in their support for the home team. With cardboard cutouts of the players’ faces being waved, the Highlanders became dominant very early on within the game, ending the first quarter with a 16-0 lead.
“We set the tone for the game by getting out and running,” head coach Mike O’Brien said. “[The Hornets] struggling to score early on really gave us the comfortable lead, and from there we just played hard.”
Going into the second quarter, the intensity was kept up as Sullivan scored first once again to maintain the positive mindset in the McLean gym. With the Highlanders passing well and keeping their movements fast and focused, they were able to score 24 points before the Hornets added a single one to the scoreboard.
The Hornets seemed to warm up to their environment a bit more than before, but the Highlanders proved dominant on their home court. Even the Hornets’ small bit of momentum was not able to take off, and as time outs were called to reorient the team, the Highlanders adapted and challenged their plays with a fiery passion. Ending the quarter, McLean exited the court with a 22 point lead, 38-16.
“[The best part] of this game was that every single senior scored more than 2 points,” Sullivan said.
Although the Hornets were hoping for a break during the second half, the Highlanders stayed strong and were the first to put points on the scoreboard going into the third quarter. While the Hornets’ moves started getting slower and sloppier, the Highlanders came back from halftime with renewed energy and were able to reaffirm their upper hand against Herdon. With extensive pass maneuvers between juniors Caf Eaton and Isaac Bell, the pair were able to work their way down the court with ease and add many two-pointers throughout the third quarter.
As the game went on, the tiring effect of facing the Highlanders in their territory was starting to show not only on the face of the Hornets, but also on the scoreboard. McLean ended the third quarter 60-27, trailing by 33 points.
The fourth quarter came, and the Highlanders were sure of victory. However, this did not stop them from putting the maximum effort in to prove their skills to the crowd and the Hornets. Bell jumped to dunk the ball, hanging on to the rim which was followed by an overwhelming audience reaction of cheers. As the clock ran down, time outs were called to slow down the game, but to no avail. With 30 seconds left in the game, the seniors passed between themselves until the sound of sweet victory for the Highlanders. As senior night came to a close, the atmosphere celebrated the players who had shaped the McLean basketball program and their wins throughout the seasons they contributed to.
“We’re all family,” Sawyer said. “Every one of our guys has every other guy’s back. I’m going to miss this because I don’t think I’m ever going to be in a community like this again.”
