“We had team defense, and we stopped them,” assistant coach Jessica Turgon said. “We had to stop players 34 and 43. They were very good, but we were able to stop them from driving the hoop, and then we had all the rebounds.”
The game started slowly, but quickly picked up in favor of the Highlanders. McLean Senior Brooke Mattis scored the first point of the game with a three-point shot. After the end of the first quarter, McLean led 12-4.
“Our rebounding and defense [was strong], it is something we’ve been working on, and we just held it together this game on all fronts,” freshman power forward Isabel Studart said.
McLean powered through the second quarter with fast plays and two three-pointers from senior guard Tatum Olson. However, frequent jump balls and fouls resulted in several turnovers to the Generals, who capitalized on their possession to catch up on the scoreboard. Despite this, McLean still held a sizable 22-15 lead at halftime.
“On offense, we took our time, worked around and made our shots,” Turgon said.
Starting the third quarter, the Generals went on the offense, tying the score 22-22 with a three-pointer and a few layups. At one point, they executed a near-perfect fast break around the Highlanders, but were narrowly halted by McLean’s solid defense. The Highlanders, however, were not demoralized; Olson’s last-minute layup managed to put McLean slightly ahead at 27-25 at the end of the quarter.
“We were able to play through ups and downs of the game, keep our heads up and lift each other up when we made a mistake,” Studart said.
With the game nearing an end, Mclean refocused and advanced. They started the quarter with a close three pointer miss, but they did not lose stride and continued to push offensive pressure against the Generals. With a new lead, Mclean focused on defense to prevent the Generals from catching up.
“We had a good feeling from the start, as we started strong and finished strong,” Studart said.
McLean finished the game with a close 36-31 victory. The Highlanders plan to continue their season and move through districts, regionals and states with more successful wins.
“We have so many experienced and talented players,” Studart said. “We can go as far as we want and we will.”