Hawks Bounce Back, Defeat Black Knights by 13

     Hayfield got back into the win column yesterday, with a solid victory over the Black Knights of The Avalon School (Gaithersburg, Md.). The Hawks led the entire way, for the first time this season. Hayfield will match up with Hampton Christian today, in their final Mt. Vernon Christmas Tourney game, with a chance to complete their fourth holiday tournament in a row with a winning record.

    The Hawks were led by their senior center Corey McGhee (20pts, 12rebs, 3asts, 4stls, 3blks) who dominated nearly every facet of yesterday’s game. McGhee, who often matches up vs. much taller competition, took full advantage of Avalon’s 6’3” center, scoring at will on the low block, and throwing down an emphatic dunk off a fast break. This game marked a career high for McGhee, who reached 20 points for the first time in his two year varsity career. He was joined in double figures, by a resurgent Romaine Oakley (17pts, 5asts), who had been mired in a shooting slump, and SG Brian Cobbs (12pts, 5rebs, 5asts), who has continued to blossom as one of Hayfield’s main offensive weapons. Oakley quickly found his rhythm, scoring 8 of Hayfield’s 21 first quarter points (tying McGhee with 1^st quarter high point honors), including finding his range from beyond arc (2-3 in the first quarter). Cobbs and Oakley led the Hawks with 5 assists a piece, as Hayfield racked up 23 dimes on their 32 buckets.

   Hayfield also received another glimpse of the future, as Freshmen Jalen Byers (1ast), and Michael Joiner (2pts, 2rebs, 2asts) saw action for the second straight day. Joiner also initiated one of the games’ most exciting plays, when he floated an alley-oop pass to reserve C Kareem Hamadouche (4pts, 4rebs, 1ast), who finished it with a one handed slam. SG Demonte’ Richardson (2pts, 1reb,1ast), another holiday tourney call up, saw his first regular season varsity action, and scored his first varsity points on a well-executed press break, where he leaked out, cutting down the left lane for a contested left handed layup.

   Other contributions included: Soph. PG Luke Jones (7pts, 2rebs) found the distance from 3, for the second time this season, splashing it from the left corner. Jr. SF Carrington Brox (5pts, 3rebs, 2asts) also found the range from downtown, for the first time this season, and continued to develop his press defense skills, as Hayfield pressed Avalon relentlessly for much of the second half, ultimately going up 19 (51-32) midway through the third quarter. Saturday’s hero Sr. SF Aaron Jeter (7pts, 6rebs) was able to take a well-deserved rest, after nearly being the only bright spot vs. Friendly HS, sitting out much of the second half, as Hayfield was able to maintain a nearly comfortable lead throughout the afternoon.

   Pts. Scored By: Oakley (17), Cobbs (12), Douglas (0), Jeter (7), McGhee (20), Curetan (0), Jones (7), Wilkerson (dnp), Gaither (dnp), Brox (5), Wheeler (2), Mahmoud (dnp), Miles (0), Hamadouche (4), Byers (0), Joiner (2), Richardson (2)