By Leo Corman ’15

The boys’ basketball team fell to Northwest, 73-60, last Friday night, bringing their record to 6-6 for the season. (The team played two nights ago against a tough Kennedy squad—whom they beat by two points earlier in the season—and last night against Paint Branch, who beat the Warriors on a bank-shot buzzer-beater in December. Both games happened too late for The Warrior to cover in this issue).

Against Northwest, the Warriors led after the first quarter but were subsequently outscored 18-4 during the second quarter. After mounting a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, which included scoring 27 points in the final period, the Warriors ultimately were unable to overcome their early deficit.

The loss to the 7-7 Jaguars came on the heels of three consecutive strong performances by the Warriors—victories over Blake and Springbrook and a three-point loss to undefeated Richard Montgomery.

In general, the Warriors have had mixed results this season, producing a number of impressive games (winning at Magruder to begin the season) but some disappointing ones as well (losing to sub-.500 Einstein and Paint Branch). Part of this inconsistency can be attributed to a relatively difficult schedule, with half of the Warriors’ games so far against teams with records of 8-4 or better.

The Warriors are led in scoring by senior guard Xavier McCants at 15.5 points per game, followed by senior center Hunter Moore and junior guard Tyrese Williams, who both average double figures. As the team’s primary ball-handler, McCants balances scoring with making plays for his teammates, but his most effective weapon is his ability to attack opposing defenses and get to the rim. Moore gives the Warriors an important inside threat with his rebounding and touch around the basket. Williams, who has made the most free throws on the team this season, earns many of his points through his aggressive driving on offense.

Junior guard Shawn Bliss has also brought a substantial offensive boost, hitting the second-most three-pointers on the team behind McCants. Despite the inconsistent season thus far, Bliss feels confident in the Warriors’ potential moving forward. “We have a lot of chemistry, and we know that if one person messes up, we have four other people on the court that have our back,” said Bliss. “I believe we can make a big run the rest of the season into the playoffs and up to the state championship game.”

At the end of a stretch of three games in three consecutive nights, the team plays tonight at Blake (6-7), whom the Warriors beat earlier this month by a score of 73-57.