Yesterday, the Mclean Highlanders played the Langley Saxons in a tight rival game, but sadly the Highlanders were unable to pull out a win, with a score of 42-26.

“The first three quarters of the game we came out and pushed it really hard,” senior post and wing Ava Stewart said. “But we slowed down too much and got a little frazzled.”

With a huge, enthusiastic crowd for McLeans home game, the team had a wave of support cheering them on in the stands.

Mclean junior post and wing Allyson Hodder won tip off to start the game, which led her teammate junior guard and forward Vilte Kacerauskaite to score the first shot, putting McLean on the board 2-0. The Highlanders continued to hold their lead by taking every opportunity to fight for rebounds and held strong on defense.

The first quarter finished with a low score of 8-5 with McLean in the lead, and junior guard Tatum Olsen making the last two-pointer in the final minute.

“We did a really good job pressuring our perimeter.” Coach Pat Deegan said.

The first half of the game closes out with a tight score of 15-14, McLean still maintaining their lead. With their spirits high, Mclean starts off the third quarter stealing the ball from Langley, leading to an intense back and forth between the two teams.

Langley began to sneak up from behind and gain the lead with a score of 28-24 at the end of the third quarter.

“Everytime we play against Langley we know they’re gonna bring their best game,” Stewart said.

McLean continued to fall behind Langley, with an immense amount of scoring from the Saxons. Hodder contributed to the Highlanders, scoring the only shot from McLean in the fourth quarter.
McLean fought a hard game, but ultimately fell short to their rivals.

“What it comes down to is taking a game like this and learning [to improve from it],” Deegen said.