Hayfield Doubles up Mclean; Reaches .500 in Conference

      Although this game did not showcase Hayfield’s ability to score the basketball, it did illustrate that sound defense which will carry them farther than anything else. The Hawks put on a clinic on Wednesday night, holding the Highlanders of McLean HS to single digits in every quarter on route to a convincing 22 point win. A year ago, when Hayfield last visited McLean, the Hawks rode a 32 point effort from their star center Eliot Donley, to cruise to victory. This time, while the result was similar, the path was drastically different. The Hawks really struggled to find their offensive rhythm, but their defensive effort soared off the charts.

    Hayfield has now won three straight (the fourth season in a row that they have put together a 3 game or more win streak). The first two wins in the streak were nail biters, while this game was never in doubt after halftime. That being said, Hayfield still has much to refine, as they prepare to defend their 2015 Liberty Conference Championship. In the game on Wednesday, the Hawks strived to refine their defensive intensity, resulting in their best defensive effort of the season.

    An additional benefit of this convincing win was that Hayfield was able to rest several of their key players, and get needed minutes for reserves who will be needed later this season. The Hawks were paced by Jr. PG Langston Gaither (13pts, 7rebs, 2stls) who was able to rest most of the second half. Gaither was especially effective on the offensive glass, leading the Hawks with 4 offensive rebounds. Reserve C Kareem Hamadouche (4pts, 3rebs, 2blks) saw meaningful minutes in the second half, including a massive rejection which was deflected all the way to the sideline. Hamadouche also had a text book reverse pivot drop step to the basket during the Hayfield second half surge. SF Carrington Brox (8pts, 1ast, 1stl) continued to raise his team leading 2ptFG% as he converted all four of his attempts, raising his accuracy to 63% on the season.

    Other contributions included: SF Aaron Jeter (8pts, 6rebs, 2asts, 3stls) is red hot from 3pt range over the last 3 games, converting 83% of his attempts (5-6). Sr. SG Romaine Oakley (2pts, 2stls) played stellar defense on Wednesday night, snagging to steals in Hayfield’s 21 full court press. So. SG Brian Cobbs (9pts, 5 rebs, 2asts, 1stl, 1blk) continued to illustrate how the mid-range jump shot (a forgotten art), is still a potent weapon. Fr. SF Michael Joiner (5pts) came off the bench in the fourth, and took over at the point, quickly showcasing how dynamic he can be in open space. He converted his first three pointer of the season, and took his man from the top left of the court, down the middle for a contested up and under for two! Jr. PG Will Douglas (2pts, 2dflctns), perhaps Hayfield’s best on-ball defender, came off the bench to strap McLean’s best ball handler, and converted his two trips to the charity stripe.

Pts. Scored By: Oakley (2), Cobbs (9), Douglas (2), Jeter (8), McGhee (0), Curetan (0), Jones (0), Wilkerson (0), Gaither (13), Brox (8), Wheeler (3), Mahmoud (0), Miles (0), Hamadouche (4), Joiner (5)