On Feb. 10, McLeans boys basketball team took on Wakefield in their 21st game of the season. The Highlanders were looking to end their four game losing streak, all to district opponents.

McLean started off hot, sophomore forward Nahome Kidane and senior forward Jake Bell combined for three 3-pointers, allowing the Highlanders to jump out to an early 9-0 lead. The Warriors would respond with a small 6-2 run to make McLean’s lead 11-6 to end the first.

“We started off super hot,” senior guard JW Riggins said. “We knew that if we played like that all game we would easily win.”

Wakefield started the second quarter hot, scoring a few tough baskets to cut McLean’s lead to just two points. However a flurry of layups from seniors Roman Ludwikowski and Nick Karageorgos, as well as sophomore Lucas Van Order extended the Highlanders lead back to eight. Eventually, McLean closed out the half with a 25-15 advantage.

The third quarter was a back and forth affair. Kidane added another score along with a few more points from Bell. However sloppy offense plagued the Highlanders and the Warriors were able to cut the lead down to 35-27 entering the fourth quarter.

McLean started off the fourth quarter strong with a fastbreak layup from Riggins. Wakefield would respond with a 3-pointer but McLean continued on, maintaining a seven point lead until Ludwikowski scored a break away layup to make the score 45-36. A few free throws later and the Highlanders would come out with a well deserved 48-36 win, ending their district losing streak.

“We had been working hard but the results just weren’t there,” Van Order said. “This one felt good for us.”

McLean looks ahead to their game on the road at Herndon, where they hope to replicate their winning ways and pick up another key district win.

“I’m super confident in our squad,” Riggins said. “I truly believe that we can win the district if we continue to play how we did today.”