Long Reach locks down Reservoir’s offense
Long Reach boys basketball hangs its hat on defense. It was lacking when the Lightning suffered their first defeat Friday against River Hill. It came back Wednesday against Reservoir.
In a matchup of Howard County’s top two teams, that defensive intensity returned in abundance. No. 14 Long Reach set the tone early and built a 16-point halftime lead that grew into a 64-43 win. It was the No. 13 Gators’ lowest offensive output of the season.
“It’s easy to do when you’re being successful at it,” Long Reach coach Andrew Lazzor said of his team’s defense. “We try to work on getting shot clock violations because you’re digging in and making the offense kind of nervous, where to go because they’re not getting any clean looks. The key is you have to start out with it. We talk defense all day every day, it’s what we do. We work on it in practice every night and they know that they can’t take it easy on defense in practice because they know they’ll be held accountable.”
Long Reach (10-1, 6-1 Howard County) used its stifling defense to make an 11-0 run over the final three minutes of the first to take a 16-7 lead. Several of Long Reach’s baskets were created in transition off of steals, a byproduct of their tenacious 1-2-1 press. All five Lightning defenders rotated on a string, not allowing the Gators to find open looks.
Long Reach held Reservoir’s top two scorers, Zach Chin and Irby Hunter, scoreless in the first. The Lightning sustained that effort in the second quarter. RJ Barnes displayed his offensive versatility with five of his 15 points in the frame, also creating opportunities for teammates by taking defenders off the dribble.
Reservoir (8-2, 5-2) scored six points in the first two minutes of the second but managed just one field goal the rest of the half, as Long Reach’s swarming defense continued to cause problems. Christian Dean and Cameron Valentine spearheaded that relentless defensive effort, not allowing Chin to cleanly initiate Reservoir’s offense.
“It’s a lot of fun when everybody’s clicking, getting steals and going on fast breaks,” Barnes said. “To sustain that, everybody has to play their part. If somebody’s not up to par, we have to pull them up. Everybody just has to give their full effort because even though there may be mistakes, everyone has to give their full effort.”
Trailing by 16 at the half, Reservoir responded in the third quarter. The Gators scored more points in the third than they did in the first half, with Chin finally generating clean shots. While the defense briefly faltered, Barnes maintained his offensive success while Jayden Saunders and Ethan Maokhamphiou added timely shots.
Long Reach led, 44-31, after three quarters and didn’t allow Reservoir to sustain its momentum in the fourth. Maokhamphiou scored backto-back buckets early on in the quarter, part of his team-high 16-point performance. The Lightning kept that same relentless defensive pressure, feeding off the crowd’s energy.
After making valuable contributions both defensively and on the glass, Dean found an offensive groove midway through the fourth. He scored all seven of his points on three straight possessions, giving the Lightning added separation. Shortly after, the starters left to a raucous ovation from the visiting crowd, the finishing touches on a dominant defensive performance that secured the top spot in the county standings.
“We just treated it as another regular season game,” Maokhamphiou said. “We don’t focus on other teams; we just do what we do. We believe that if we do what we do, we can beat any team that we play.”
Winters Mill 65, Westminster 52:
In an intense game highlighted by two passionate and lively student sections, Winters Mill boys basketball clicked on all cylinders Wednesday night and defeated Westminster, 65-52, in a matchup of two schools located less than 5 miles from each other.
After the first couple of possessions, it looked like fans were about to be treated to a back-and-forth track meet between the rivals as both teams pushed the ball up the court, creating scoring opportunities and preventing both defenses from getting in any sort of rhythm.
However, the Falcons pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back, with Dallas Johnson leading the charge.
“Just an overall great team effort,” Winters Mill coach David Wynne said. “We had great energy tonight.”
Energy was the keyword for the night, and with the support of a rowdy student section, energy carried Winters Mill. Sparked by their electric point guard, the Falcons went on a big run to pull away, building a 38-22 halftime lead.
“He’s a good player,” Westminster coach Steve Byrnes said. “We failed to adjust and he kind of owned the game.”
Johnson finished with a gamehigh 21 points and also made an impact defensively for the Falcons. His seven steals were the catalyst to a second half where Winters Mill continued to press defensively, making life extremely hard for the Westminster guards.
With Johnson in control of the game, the Falcons lead by double-digits heading into the fourth quarter.
“I just got steals and points for the team,” Johnson said. “That way we can all succeed and get the win.”
When Westminster finally decided to key on Johnson during a failed fourth-quarter comeback attempt, he was able to find his teammates for open looks.
“He really got us into our offense down the stretch,” Wynne said. “He scored for us and controlled the tempo.”
Kandi Mkpasi was a recipient of a lot of those looks. His 16 points were just a fraction of the impact he had in the second half as Winters Mill finished off Westminster.
“I was out there just trying to contribute as a role player,” he said. “Setting screens, getting to the basket and finishing shots.”
While some teams get distracted by the outside noise a rivalry game brings, Wynne appreciated how his team handled the moment and earned the win as his Falcons improved to 5-6 overall.
“Very proud of our effort and the way we left all on the court,” he said. “It’s always gonna be a battle against our crosstown rival.”
Girls basketball Catonsville 38, Western Tech 31:
Since being called up to varsity freshman year, Catonsville senior guard Leah Vacin has never been victorious over local rival Western Tech.
On Wednesday, Vacin celebrated a 38-31 road victory that ended a three-game losing streak to the Wolverines. The win was extra special for Vacin because her friend from middle school, senior Danielle Weeks, was on the other side.
“It feels good because my friend Danielle is on the team, which is a plus, plus winning,” said Vacin, who finished with 10 points.
Alexis Johnson also scored 10 for Catonsville. Weeks scored a gamehigh 13 points and senior Imani Groce added 11 for the hosts.
Vacin did all of her damage in the first half, draining a pair of 3-pointers, a perimeter shot and layup. Ellie Altmannalsohita3-pointerinthefirst halfwhentheCometsbuilta22-11lead.
“We’ve been working a lot on shooting in practice and I think that is what really has been helping us as
a team,” Vacin said.
“Coach [Mark] Valderas has really been working with the kids, we have been devoting a lot of time to shooting,” Catonsville head coach Mike Mohler said.
The hot early perimeter shooting surprised the Wolverines.
“We were watching film of them and there were not that many threes, andoncetheystartedhittingthem,we werelike,‘Theyareonfiretoday,’sowe hadtogetoutonthem,”Weekssaid.
The Comets didn’t convert a trey in the second half and the Wolverines crept closer, thanks to increased defensive energy, led by Weeks.
Weeks had five of her game-high six steals in the second half and the Wolverines forced 13 of the Comets’ 22 turnovers. Western Tech finished with 25 turnovers.
“Go back to the old coaching adages, winning ugly beats losing ugly, so it’s a win, hopefully we get better, but we certainly can’t throw the ball away like we did tonight and expect to have success,” Mohler said.
Sparrows Point 53, Parkville 33 Pikesville 63, Owings Mills 16 Loch Raven 51, Carver A&T 26 Eastern Tech 49, Lansdowne 31 Hereford 49, Dulaney 22 Westminster 48, Winters Mill 26 Century 44, Aberdeen 34
River Hill 43, Glenelg 29
Mt. Hebron 42, Centennial 30 Reservoir 39, Long Reach 26 Hammond 47, Atholton 26 Howard 73, Oakland Mills 28 Marriotts Ridge 52, Wilde Lake 27 Indian Creek 56, Chapelgate 19
Wrestling
South River 72, Arundel 12