After a long off-season, the much anticipated boys basketball season finally arrived. On November 28, the boys basketball team played its first regular season game at home against the Falls Church Jaguars.

The team dominated right from the tip-off, taking an early 21-8 lead with 2:25 left, finishing the quarter with a 23-14 lead. This was thanks to exceptional defense that rarely allowed Falls Church to penetrate. Most of the Jaguars’ first quarter points came from three-point shots. The team’s ability to force turnovers helped them as well. In the quarter, Falls Church was plagued by offensive fouls and other turnover calls. “We really wanted to put a lot of pressure on them from the beginning and hopefully get some steals and transition points, and I think we did that well.” senior forward Matt Deily said.

The team’s dominance in the first quarter can also be attributed to their ability to create second chance points. Senior center Colin MacCullough’s numerous offensive rebounds served as a catalyst for these second chances. “[MacCullough] has really been doing well on the boards and doing a good job finishing near the basket.” Coach Bobby Dobson said. “He’s been a real presence for us.” After the quarter was done, confidence was high on the Washington-Lee side.

Despite the strong start for the Generals, Falls Church’s offense stepped up their game in the second quarter. The Jaguars took advantage of rebounds, resulting from attempted shots taken by the Generals, allowing them to counterattack more often and score 17 points through repeated layups and three pointers. The Generals managed to score 8 points, but Falls Church 18-4 run, beginning at the end of the first quarter and continuing throughout the second quarter, tied the game 31-31 at halftime.

“Going into the locker room we knew it was tied, but I knew our first group was strong enough to pick up their teammates,” Coach Dobson said. “And that’s one of the things we talked about, helping your teammates up, picking your teammates out, and I felt we were strong enough to make a comeback, so I wasn’t really worried.”

Coming out of the locker room after a disappointing second quarter, the Generals were determined to regain the sizable lead they had in the first. This is exactly what they did. The team clicked on all cylinders throughout the eight minutes of the quarter, outscoring Falls Church 29-15. The team was lead by strong performances from Deily and senior point guard Anthony Reyes.

“I think it was just the mentality change.” Deily said. “My teammates and I all came out with a lot of energy in the second half and it amounted to a big run.” The team had asserted control over the game with a double-digit point lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Generals continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, tiring out Falls Church’s defense with multiple rebounds, passing sequences and breakaways. Although the Jaguars offense managed to score one point more than the Generals in the fourth quarter, the Generals achieved a victory, finishing off the game with 72 points and Falls Church with 59 points.

“It’s about the trust that the kids have for each other.” Coach Dobson said. “They’re buying into what we’re trying to get done and they don’t really care who scores. They’re just worried about scoring and sharing the ball and enthusiasm. We have good leadership with Chris Ozgo and Colin MacCullough and the kids are playing together.”