Article Text

McLean’s girls’ varsity basketball team found its energy too late on Jan. 20, falling 45-34 to Yorktown in an emotional first meeting with the Highlanders’ former coach and her new team.

Playing their 15th game of the season at home, the Highlanders entered on a three-game losing streak and were still searching for their first district victory.

“This is a really tough game and it’s against our old coach, so that is definitely going to hit hard within the team,” junior forward Karine Najarian said.

Yorktown immediately set the pace with a 3-pointer on its opening possession. McLean answered with two layups, but the Patriots struck again from beyond the arc. After two scoreless minutes, junior guard Cora Stevens added a free throw for the Highlanders.

McLean tried to counter Yorktown with a zone defense, but the Patriots repeatedly found openings.

“We thought we could match up better in a zone, but they were able to move the ball very well and beat it,” head coach Pat Deegan said. “We didn’t do a good enough job as coaches to prepare them for the slides they needed to make.”

Yorktown’s third 3-pointer created a 9-5 advantage with several minutes remaining in the first quarter. Following a McLean miss, the Patriots connected from deep once more and closed the period ahead 12-5.

Stevens opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, trimming the deficit to 12-8. The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes before Yorktown built a six-point lead and forced McLean to call timeout.

The break did not slow the Patriots. Yorktown hit another 3-pointer and stretched its advantage to 23-11, then made two sets of free throws before halftime to take a 27-11 lead.

McLean struggled with turnovers and unnecessary fouls during the third quarter, allowing Yorktown to protect its cushion. Two late Highlanders 3-pointers narrowed the score to 36-23 entering the final period.

Neither side made a decisive run in the fourth quarter, leaving McLean unable to erase the early deficit. The loss dropped the Highlanders to 3-12 overall and 0-6 in district play.

Deegan nevertheless saw encouragement in his team’s response after halftime.

“I was really excited because I felt like we played the third and fourth quarters with a ton of energy after the bad start,” Deegan said. “We started to put the ball in the hoop, so for us, it was a real positive finish.”