McLean students packed the stands on Thursday, Feb. 13th to watch McLean varsity boys basketball take on the Langley Saxons for the second time this season, hoping that senior night would provide them with some luck. In their previous matchup, the Highlanders had been comprehensively destroyed, but the McLean seniors hoped to change that in their final home regular season game. The crowd cheered on the seniors throughout their ceremony, everyone anxious for the game to start.
McLean looked strong in warmups, and with the power of the hyped up Thursday night crowd, brought that energy to the first quarter, dominating from the first possession. A big three pointer from little used senior guard Zach Ellis had the student section going crazy, and McLean put up seven points before Langley scored at all, while also dominating on the defensive end with an astounding block from senior center Avery Higgins on what looked to be a breakaway dunk from the saxons.
Through the first half, the Highlanders kept their energy up, with strategic possessions and strong defense. They went back and forth with the Saxons, but as the end of the half approached, the Saxons slowly crept back into it, cutting the deficit, which had once been 10 points, to a narrower 28-24 lead for the Highlanders at the end of the first half.
Even so, The energy was high in the crowd, fans allured by the prospect of a rival win. As the Highlanders walked out of the locker room, they were met with a wave of cheering.
Langley came out strong to begin the half but McLean fought back, putting up eight points in a row. The game continued, but it remained close, with neither team gaining a big lead and a defensive stinginess leading to several turnovers for both teams.
But as the game went on, Mclean began to lose momentum, and halfway through the third quarter Langley managed to tie the game with a big three, getting rid of the lead the Highlanders had held since the beginning. With a minute left, senior Max Mullen matched that, and the game was tied. However, a late bucket from Langley made the score at the end of the quarter 39-40, Saxons in the lead.
Despite the deficit, the student section remained energetic, with every member of McLean’s student body on their feet. Unfortunately for the Highlanders, Langley decided to turn on the jets in the final period, coming out and scoring 9 unanswered points in under two minutes. Despite three pointers from Mullen and junior Jake Bell in attempts to tie it, Langley closed out the 4th quarter with more dominant perimeter play, as McLean was unable to catch up to the enormous deficit. The Highlanders lost, 50-59.
“We played a solid game up until the last quarter,” junior Logan Baldrate said. “We played them close, but made some mental mistakes down the stretch.”
On Tuesday, February 18th, the Highlanders will face off against the Saxons again in the first round of districts.
“Going into districts we have three practices which we will definitely use to our advantage to prepare for the game,” Baldrate said. “We are not worried about the rivalry or our record against Langley, we just plan on playing the best basketball we know how to play.”
