First it was Lee. Then it was West Potomac. Now it is West Springfield; the latest team to lose to the varsity boys basketball team by double digits during the Atoms’ current four-game winning streak.
“In the last couple of weeks, the intensity in practice has picked up and that’s translated into the games,” Head Coach Anthony Harper said.
The Atoms jumped out to an early lead in the Jan. 13 game and carried a 14-point lead into halftime. In the third quarter, senior Karl Ziegler took over and the Atoms squashed any chances of a Spartan comeback. AHS outscored West Springfield 29-4 in the quarter and ended up winning the game, 78-32.
“Getting Karl back has helped,” Harper said. “The chemistry was off at first [in Ziegler’s first game back] against T.C. Williams, but it’s coming back together after a couple weeks of playing.”
Ziegler led the Atoms with 17 points in the game, while fellow seniors D’Angelo Boyce and Melvin Robinson added 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore Sanar Shamdeen continued his strong play from behind the arc, scoring eight points and draining two 3-pointers.
“Our defense forced a lot of turnovers early and we were able to capitalize off those turnovers,” Harper said. “In practice, we’ve concentrated more on defense as far as rotating and communication [and it’s paid off in the games].”
The Atoms have shown great chemistry in each of their wins (65-59 over Woodson, 80-55 over West Potomac and 80-34 over Lee). These wins have also been particularly important, as they have bolstered the team’s district record after losing to T.C. Williams and South County to start the year.
“Since everybody came back from injury [we’ve had good chemistry],” Boyce said. “It’s been good in practice and even better on the court in games.”
Boyce is third in the Patriot District in scoring this year with an average of 17.2 points per game, slightly behind South County’s Nik Biberaj at 17.6 points per game and Woodson’s John Schoof at 17.5 points per game. Ziegler is second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game and Robinson is right behind him at 12.5 per game.
“[The last four wins] have been big because they were district games,” Boyce said. “We started out 0-2 [in the district]; having the wins makes our district record better and we can pick up a higher seed at the tournament.”
The Atoms have seven games remaining on their schedule; all of them against Patriot District foes.
“[To compete at regionals] we have to keep our defense consistent and continue to rebound,” Harper said. “We out-rebounded Lee and West Pot, but were out-rebounded by West Springfield in the first half and gave up 19 points. So we need to keep winning the rebound battle and keep teams to shooting around thirty percent and under 50 points.”
If the Atoms keep playing the way they are now, these goals are certainly attainable.
