The team has gotten off to an up-and-down start, splitting their first six games and putting them at 3-3 on the season. The highlight of the stretch came against QO where the boys won in the final seconds.
The team started the season out with a great performance on Dec. 6, pulling away from Northwest late to win the season opener 67-63. It was a high pace, back-and-forth game that was close the entire way. The team was led by freshman Jack Lvovsky, who poured in 22 points on a great display of three point-shooting. Sophomore Greg Urovsky also made a major contribution, scoring 19 points. “We played as a team and it allowed us to get the win,” Lvovsky said.
The boys then travelled to Kennedy on Dec. 9 looking to stay undefeated. Kennedy posed a different challenge from Northwest as they constantly pressed and used their athleticism to force turnovers. The team got off to a good start and they made enough shots to have a lead early on. As Kennedy pressed, too many turnovers proved to be the difference as the team couldn’t hold on to the lead and fell 72-67 dropping their season record to 1-1. Urovsky lead the way for the Patriots scoring 15 points.
Looking for a bounce back win, the team travelled to Clarksburg on Dec. 12. The team jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back as they held a comfortable lead the entire game ultimately winning by 10 to put their season record at 2-1.
Looking to build off their last win, the team travelled to Poolesville, concluding a three-game road stretch. Poolesville slowed the game down and had control of the tempo for the entire game. This slow tempo led to a low scoring game and favored Poolesville. The team battled, keeping it close for most of the game but couldn’t make enough shots and they lost 41-30 putting their record at 2-2 on the season. “We need to play more like a family all together,” Urovsky said.
On Dec. 16, the team faced the Quince Orchard Cougars in a game that they knew would be a tough test. The Cougars put pressure on the Patriots by trapping all over the court, but for the most part, the Patriots handled it well, passing through it. The team was led by Chris Vondas in the first half as he scored 11 points to keep the Patriots in it. The game went back and forth and was tied coming down to the final seconds. Then Lvovsky stepped up making a clutch shot in the final seconds to give the team a two-point lead and a final stop sealed the win for the team. “This was a big win for us. It was the response we wanted after last game,” Vondas said.
On Dec. 19, the team looked to revenge last year’s loss to Paint Branch, one of the team’s only losses of the season. They were again pressed throughout the game, but they didn’t handle the pressure as well as they did the game before. The game was back and forth, but the Patriots could never regain the lead in the final minutes due to the pressure. The team had one final chance but a long three from sophomore Liam Hall sailed long sealing a three-point win for Paint Branch and putting the team’s record at 3-3 on the season.
The next game is on Dec. 21 at Churchill at 3:45, but is too late to be covered for this issue.

Joey Voyta

Staff Writer