Sophomore forward Nathan Bowmen steals the ball and dribbles down the court to finish the wide open layup on Nov. 28 at Watkins Mill, finishing in the win for the Patriots.

The team had a scrimmage against Watkins Mill to get themselves prepared for the start of the season. Applying pressure on defense was the focus coming into the game and the team did just that.

As soon as the ball was jumped, the Patriots were in a full court press. Bowmen was at the top of the press using his length and athleticism to disrupt the opposing team. Sophomore guards Miller Romm and Jayden Rowe were on the sides trying to trap the ball. The Patriot defense was too much for Watkins Mill as they came up with many turnovers. “Our defense in the first half was too much for them to handle and we were able to turn our defense into offense,” Bowmen said.

Early subs coming off the bench were sophomores, guard Thomas Jezek and forward Ryan Feldman, and freshman guard Ryan Parent. Jezek and Parent ran the back-court when they entered the game. Jezek’s speed increased the tempo on offense, giving shooters wide open three pointers. Feldman dominated the boards and his size and strength helped him get easy layups. “Our subs did a really good job of keeping the tempo up when we came into the game,” Jezek said.

The point guard play was excellent throughout the game. The guards were able to limit their turnovers and distribute the ball. Rowe and Romm did a good job attacking the ball and attracting the defense, giving wings like Parent and sophomore Chris Rinaldi their shots. Parent and Rinaldi were able to capitalize on these opportunities when they received the ball. The guards were also successful at getting the ball inside to the big men for easy layups down low. “We did a good job controlling the tempo of the game and that resulted in our team winning,” Rowe said.

The team is returning lots of leadership with six returning sophomores. This core group looks to teach and guide all of the new people on the team so they can succeed in their roles.

The first game was on Dec. 8 against Poolesville. The team dominated Poolesville last year winning both of the games by a total of 65 points.