WINNING STREAK REACHES 9, AS HAWKS EDGE WARRIORS 50-49

The Hayfield Secondary Boys Varsity continued their winning ways, by defeating the Warriors of Wakefield HS Friday night by 1 point. The Hawks were coming off a very impressive 3 night performance at Lake Braddock HS, during the Glory Days Christmas Tourney. The Hawks had won each of their holiday tournament games by double digits. That momentum did not carry over into this match-up of the top two teams in the district however. Wakefield opened the game on a 6-0 run before Coach Poindexter called a timeout. The quick rest helped, as the Hawks went on a 16-11 run over the next 6 minutes, trailing only by 1 point at the end of one quarter. The 2nd quarter turned out to be much worse, with the Hawks going scoreless for much of the quarter, finishing with only 6 total 2nd quarter points, and a 9 point deficit at the half.

The Hawks halftime pep talk worked wonders, as did their press, which infused the Hawks with confidence, and led them to a 12-2 run to open the second half. That momentum led to a 3 point lead entering the 4th quarter. Both squads then seemed to run out of gas however, and the Hawks still held a 3 point cushion entering the last two minutes. The Warriors were then forced to foul, which seemed to work however, for the normally sure firing Hawks, missed the front end of three straight 1 & 1’s. The Warriors seemed on the edge of winning, when their big man nailed a 3 point basket with under 30 seconds to go. That basket closed the score to 50-49, where it would remain, as the Hawks weathered another driving attempt by Wakefield’s point guard, which fell harmlessly into the waiting hands of F Amir Atkins, sealing the Hawks 9th straight victory, and giving Hayfield sole possession of 1st place in the district.

The Hawks were again led by F Amir Atkins (19pts, 4rebs, 2assts, 1blk), who really hit his stride during the decisive 3rd quarter, when the Hawks outscored Wakefield 18-6. Aiding him in the comeback was F/C Montez Wilson (6pts, 6rebs, 1blk), who shot 100% from the field coming off the bench. The Hawks also received a shot in the arm from the PG tandem of Tyler Thornton (6pts, 3rebs, 2asts) and Brandon Lawson (4pts 2rebs), both of whom were able to create mismatches for the Warriors all night long. Reserve center Dalon Thomas (4pts, 3rebs) also played a pivotal role in the victory, inspiring the defense in the latter parts of the 1st quarter, and adding a physical presence in the lane. SG Tyler Seelman had slower night in the scoring column, but that did not deter his defensive presence, including blocking 3 shots, and altering 2 others. 

Perhaps the two most important players of the evening barely reached the scoring column, but they made their presence known. Quentin Hutchinson (1pt, 4rebs) came into the game  to shut down the Warriors scorer, shadowing him everywhere he went, collecting 4 rebounds along the way, and Phil Guydon (0pts, 2rebs, 1ast), who reached high to grab the rebound of a missed free throw attempt by the Hawks, which all but sealed the fate of the Wakefield Warriors.