For four years, seniors D’Angelo Boyce and Karl Ziegler have been a part of the AHS basketball program. Between the two of them, they have played in over 160 games, scored over 1,700 points and led the team to 57 wins. And on their Senior Night, they accounted for 61 of the team’s 75 points, leading the Atoms to a 75-65 win over rival Lake Braddock.
“It was a very important win for us,” Head Coach Anthony Harper said. “Our goal was to go into the district tournament [and] gain some momentum going forward.”
The Bruins played the Atoms close the entire game, with no team ever able to establish a double-digit lead. Although AHS led by five at halftime, no team was truly in control of the game.
In the second half, however, Ziegler and Boyce took over. Boyce scored 10 of his 26 points in the third quarter, while Ziegler scored 21 of his 35 in the final two quarters.
With 1:42 left and AHS nursing an eight-point lead, the Bruins looked to have gained a little momentum when Ziegler dove for a loose ball and ended up chipping one of his teeth. After spitting up blood on the court and having the athletic trainers look over him, Ziegler had to come out of the game.
“I’ve got a chipped tooth and a mild concussion,” Ziegler said. “My nose is a little crooked, so next game I’m definitely going to be wearing a mouth guard and maybe a facemask.”
Without the forward, the Atoms relied on scrappy defense from key reserves to preserve their lead. Junior Monte McCarthy drew a charge on a layup that would have cut the lead to three and senior Greg Nielsen made two key defensive stops with a deflected pass and a blocked shot. Ziegler soon returned to the game and calmly sealed the victory at the free throw line, making all six of his attempts in the last minute.
“[Ziegler’s injury] shook us up for a minute,” Harper said. “We didn’t know the extent of the injury so it kind of rattled us because he’s one of our primary ball handlers. [Greg and Monte] came in and gave us good play off the bench; Greg’s good anticipation on the pass and Monte drawing the charge. It was a 5-point swing in our favor.”
“With Karl out, the ball handling [ability] went down,” Boyce said. “So I had to step up my play as well as the other guards.”
Although Boyce and Ziegler have shouldered much of the scoring load this year, senior Melvin Robinson has also played a key role in the team’s success. With the removal of two key rebounders from the team, Robinson has been relied upon even more to clean up the glass.
“[The two players’ departure] really doesn’t affect me,” Robinson said. “I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
In addition to Robinson, Boyce, Nielsen and Ziegler, three other seniors were recognized: Devin Lawrence, Peter Hagen and Matt McCartney. The athletes were escorted to the center of the court with their parents while announcer Jeremiah Davis read off their accomplishments. Most notably, Boyce was honored for surpassing 1,000 points in his high school career and for being nominated to be a McDonald’s All-American.
With the win against Lake Braddock, the Atoms finish the regular season 3rd in the Patriot District behind the Bruins and T.C. Williams. The senior night victory, however, means that the Atoms have now beaten every team in the district, a sure vote of confidence as they head into the district tournament.
“For me personally, the win [over Lake Braddock] meant that no one in this district can match up with us,” Robinson said.
The Atoms took on West Potomac in the first round of the tournament last night, but the game ended after the time of publication. During the regular season, AHS beat the Wolverines by 15 and 21 points, respectively.
“We’re going to make some adjustments and get the ball into the post players more,” Harper said before the game. “They’re not a deep team so we want to get them to turn the ball over and get them tired.”
After the first round, all remaining games of the tournament will be played at Lake Braddock. The district finals are set for next week and with a strong nucleus of seniors, the Atoms hope to be a part of it.
