On Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m., the McLean Highlanders and Washington-Liberty generals will face off, as they compete at the Washington-Liberty High School main gym, with the Highlanders looking to improve their record to 12 and 4 in a stellar start to the season. Coming off a difficult loss in a rivalry game against Langley, the Highlanders are looking to bounce back.

“Talking to the coaches and players, they’re ready to move on, and forget that fourth quarter [of the Langley game] where we struggled to put up points,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Jen Sobota said.

The Highlanders have won 8 of 9 games after a successful Fairfax Holiday Hoopfest tournament, in which senior point guard Caf Eaton, senior forward Jeremy Fuchs, and senior forward Isaac Bell were named to the All-Tournament Team. Bell also was awarded tournament MVP. The game against the generals will be an important test of resilience to maintain their number one position in the Liberty District, and get back to their winning ways.

“To the fans, keep showing out, it really means a ton to the team,” Sobota said.