Prior to the 2011 Northern Region semi-finals, no boys basketball team had ever advanced to the state tournament in the 56-year history of AHS. After the Atoms’ game against Langley on Feb. 26, there was now one.

“It feels great to make history as a senior,” leading scorer and Patriot District Player of the Year Karl Ziegler said. “All of our hard work really paid off.”

Langley made the Atoms work hard for the state tournament berth, however. After AHS jumped out to an early lead, the Saxons gained momentum and stifled the Atoms’ offense. Unable to come back and break open the game with one of their trademark runs, the Atoms entered halftime facing a 28-25 deficit.

In the second half, Langley came out hot and built their lead to five, but senior D’Angelo Boyce was able to knock down a clutch three-pointer and keep the game in hand. It was a defensive struggle for the remainder of the third and the teams entered the final period with the score tied at 35.

In the fourth, the Atoms and Saxons traded baskets before AHS was able to feed off a boisterous crowd and stretch out a five-point lead with three minutes left in the game. Langley senior David Adams promptly drove down the floor and nailed a much-needed three-pointer to cut the lead to 44-42, but the Saxons never got any closer than that. Strong free throw shooting from Boyce down the stretch and key rebounding by Ziegler and fellow senior Melvin Robinson secured not only the 53-47 victory for the Atoms, but also their first ever berth in the Northern Region Championship.

“[We turned it around in the second half by] rebounding, picking up our defensive intensity and keeping our composure,” Ziegler said. He led the Atoms with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Boyce had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Robinson added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

At the conclusion of the game, the focus was shifted to who the Atoms’ opponent would be in the regional championship. The second semi-final between T.C. Williams and Herndon was played at 6 p.m., following the AHS-Langley game and T.C. Williams came out victorious, winning 64-61. The victory sets up an All-Patriot District regional final and, having played T.C. three times already this season, the Atoms are very familiar with the playing style of the Titans. During the regular season, the teams split the series, each team winning on its home court. The two teams later met in the Patriot District Championship, where the Titans got the better of the Atoms in a 69-56 win.

“We need to not turn the ball over against them,” Ziegler said. “They’ve beaten us twice already so we need to redeem ourselves from the last time we played.”

The championship berth also guaranteed the Atoms a spot in the state tournament; another first for an AHS basketball team. The top two teams from each region advance to states and this year the Northern Region will play the Eastern Region (Va. Beach) in the first round. Depending on the results of the championship games, the Atoms will either play at Robinson Secondary School or The College of William and Mary against either reigning state champions I.C. Norcom or Phoebus.

Prior to the game, free t-shirts were given out to the first 300 AHS fans in support of the planned white-out. The “Atom-maniacs” (as coined by Principal John Ponton) have been in full support for the entirety of the Atoms’ playoff run and look to be a factor in the Northern Region Finals on Monday.

“Any advantage we can give our team by cheering; we’re gonna give it,” senior Bob Stevens, one of the leaders of the student section, said.