The boys’ basketball team hoped to begin their season on a good note. They opened against Northwest on Dec. 6. They were able to come out with a win despite the absence of senior center Kwame Frimpong.
They were able to get the win due to the performance by sophomore guard Kevin Ayissi-Etoh with 23 points and by senior forward Will Quam with 19 points. “It felt great starting the season with a win and I hope we play like this all year,” junior guard Ryan Warshaw said.
The team then traveled to face Kennedy on Dec. 9. and did not do as they hoped as the team lost by 20 points. Both Ayissi-Etoh and Quam did not play as well as they did in the first game, only having a combined  26 points, which was not enough to hold them out, making this their first loss of the season.
The team then traveled again to face Clarksburg on Dec. 12, hoping to get back on track after their first loss. Junior guard Mason Romm played well, scoring 11 points, while Ayissi-Etoh scored 21 points and Quam scored another 18 points. The team played excellently but ultimately it was not enough to win, losing by six points, 77-71, putting the team under .500.
The team traveled once again to Poolesville on Dec. 14 searching for their second win. The team struggled to score with Ayissi-Etoh scoring a season low three points and Quam scoring 13 points. The team lead by three points in the second half but lost the lead which resulted in their third loss, losing by three points, making them 1-3. “We had the chance to win and blew it, and it never feels good to lose three straight games,” Romm said.
The team had their first Friday night game on Dec. 16 against the undefeated Quince Orchard Cougars. The team struggled again scoring only four points in the second quarter and seven points in the third quarter. Ayissi-Etoh had the team’s only three pointers. The team found their rhythm in the fourth quarter scoring 20 points but could not make up for the two previous low scoring quarters. The team lost 61-44, having a four-game losing streak.
The team hosted Paint Branch on Dec. 19 looking to snap the streak. The team played well with three of their players scoring more than 10 points. They led after halftime and held onto the lead, winning 76-68. “It felt great to win after losing four games in a row. I hope we play this well for the rest of the year,” senior guard Joey Voyta said. The team played Churchill on Dec. 21, which is too late to be covered in this issue.

Eric Lee

Staff Writer