As the Highlander girls basketball team headed to Washington-Liberty high school on Jan. 13 to face their district opponent, hope was on the horizon. Coming off of back to back losses, including a rock fight against Marshall where they fell 10-24, the team required a major shift in production to be competitive.
“We expect a fast paced and physical game,” Junior guard Cora Stevens said. “Washington-Liberty has a very disciplined team with quick guards that can shoot and finish but as well as a post heavy front, so shutting down their post game, especially [senior forward Eve Jungman and sophomore forward Anna Jungman] is an important part of our gameplan.”
Off the bat, the physicality was felt by McLean as they struggled to match the Jungman sisters in the paint. However, they attempted to mitigate the damage, doubling her at every chance.
The team went down 11-0 early on, struggling with shot selection.
Stevens went relentlessly at the general’s defense, driving to the rim with intent. She finally managed to put the first Highlander points on the board, going one of two from the free throw line. The first quarter came to an end with the Highlanders down 17-3.
The second quarter began with much of the same, with the generals going on a 6-0 run to go up 20. Questionable shot selection and turnovers plagued the Highlanders, as they struggled with the constant fast break opportunities that W-L continued to create.
The Highlanders finished the half down 33-7, and went into the locker room requiring several adjustments.
Najarian went to the line to start the quarter, and added two points to McLean’s tally. The Highlanders added two more buckets in quick succession, cutting the lead to 23.
Even with this little run, the game was for all intents and purposes lost. Even with this in mind, McLean still managed to almost match the generals in second half points, getting outscored 17-12, a difference of only five points. Despite their valiant efforts, inefficient offense and the massive deficit doomed the Highlanders to a 50-19 loss.
“We definitely could have played better defense, as they got a lot of their points in the first half off of fast breaks and beating us down the court,” Najarian said. “Our rebounding could have been much better as well, because they dominated us on the boards.”
Even with the weak parts of their game, the team drew positives from a decently bleak outcome.
“We minimized turnovers compared to our marshall game,” Najarian said. “We also stayed composed the whole time, rather than giving up in the last quarter even though we were losing”
The team heads to Wakefield next, hoping to snap their losing streak and maximize their offensive output.
“We need to talk more on defense and pass the ball better, because we all know we have the ability to beat them,” Najarian said. “We have it in us but we need to work together as a team to bring it out of each other.”
