Coming off of a big win against Rockville on Jan. 10, the team looked to be back on track.
The team traveled to Whitman to play them for the first time this season on Jan. 13. With sophomore superstar Kevin Ayissi-Etoh out with a knee injury, the team struggled to score on key possessions. Junior guard Mason Romm also went out the game with a foot injury during a fast break. The boys were able to keep up with 17 points in the fourth quarter but were unable to pull out the victory, losing a hard fought game 60-57. “I felt a sharp pain after I landed awkwardly, I knew I wasn’t going to play for a while,” Romm said
After coming off of a devastating loss, the team hosted the Walter Johnson on Jan. 17. Senior forwards Will Quam and Kwame Frimpong came out to play, combining for 39 points. Even with this performance the team was only able to win by one point, winning 54-53.
The boys then went on to play Bethesda-Chevy Chase on Jan. 19. They had a hard time stopping BCC and struggled to score on offense. Unable to find their rhythm, they boys lost 59-49.
The team played Wheaton on Jan. 23. The team found its rhythm early, scoring 42 points in the first half. The whole team had a great game with almost every player scoring to contribute to the win. The team came up big, winning 75-47.
Searching for a winning streak since December, the team faced off against Einstein on Jan. 25. The team played good defense, only allowing 12 points in the first half. Quam scored 22 points, filling in the shoes of Ayissi-Etoh, and becoming the team’s biggest scoring threat. The team won 62-42.
Looking to extend their winning streak, the Patriots hosted division rival Churchill on Jan. 27. Quam had a hard time scoring during the game and only scoring 13 points. The team was not able to stop Churchill from scoring and let in 36 points in the first half. The team was handed a devastating loss, 68-54.
The boys traveled to play against Richard Montgomery on Jan. 31. The team, once again, lost their rhythm and was down by five points at the half. They continued on to struggle scoring only 12 points in the fourth quarter. The team lost 51-49.
The team then played Rockville for the second time on Feb. 7. The team only let in11 points in the first half and 18 points in the second half., while scoring 24. Quam led the team in scoring with 15 points, followed by senior Paul LaVallee and junior Ryan Warshaw, each with 9. The balanced scoring attack, with three players each scoring seven points, two with nine points, and one with 15, allowed the team to win in Ayissi-Etoh’s absence. The team dominated the whole game winning 54-29. “Defense is an important part to winning games,” senior guard Joey Voyta said.
The next game was against Gaithersburg on Feb. 14, too late to be covered in this issue.

Eric Lee

Staff Writer