For the first time since 2012, McLean basketball was going into the first round of the regional tournament as district champions. McLean students packed the stands in a sea of black, hoping to watch the magical run continue.
The first quarter started off slow for both teams. Madison jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but that completed the scoring for the first five minutes. McLean ended its scoring drought with back-to-back three-pointers from senior guard Peter Stoss. Madison scored four more during this run, and the quarter ended 9-6 Madison.
The Highlanders started the second quarter hot. Senior guard Max Mullen hit a mid-range shot following a steal off the full-court press, cutting Madison’s lead to just one. The Warhawks responded strongly, scoring the following five points, and a back-and-forth second quarter ended 16-10 in favor of Madison.
Despite the deficit, McLean students stayed positive, enamored at the possibility of advancing further in the regional tournament and even making states.
The third quarter went back and forth for the first four minutes. Neither team could score more than one basket in a row, and Madison’s lead was just seven points. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Mullen and junior guard Jake Bell cut the lead to just one point: 24-23. Madison ended the third quarter by hitting two free throws, leading by just three points entering the fourth quarter.
The crowd was engaged and fired up for arguably the most pivotal eight minutes of the season. Everything that the players had worked all season for was on the line. There was hope and excitement in the air, and the final quarter began.
The first six minutes of the first quarter could not have started worse for the Highlanders. Madison went on a 9-2 run and extended their lead to ten, sucking the life out of the gym that was rowdy and excited just minutes earlier. Hope was lost, and despair filled the stands of the McLean students as they felt the season coming to an end.
Madison’s lead hovered around 10 for the rest of the game as McLean had to keep fouling them in the interest of time, which would subsequently send them to the free throw line.
The game ended 42-33, and McLean’s historic run ended in defeat in the first round of regionals.
“The loss was unfortunate, but we still have a lot to be proud of,” junior guard JW Riggins said. “We had a historic season, and a liberty district title is nothing to laugh at.”
The team now looks to the offseason, where the players will undoubtedly be working tirelessly to recapture the district title and achieve even more.
“We have a lot of goals that we still haven’t accomplished this season,” Riggins said. “We want to compete for not only district and regional titles but state titles as well.”
