With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, time became the enemy for an Atoms team struggling to earn their second win of the season. Down by three, the Atoms were on the verge of forcing overtime with the district-leading Lake Braddock squad, a goal that became a reality when sophomore Michael Tran drained a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

This possibility, however, soon faded from the minds of those in attendance, as Lake Braddock scored two points on its following possession and the Atoms were left helpless to watch as their valiant effort fell short in the 56-58 loss.

“Our team played very well against Lake Braddock for almost the entire game,” senior Monte McCarthy said. “We had them beat up to the last four minutes of the fourth quarter, but we failed to execute and lost it.”

Despite the loss, many members of the team are aware of the strides they have made, recognizing the improvement that has marked their season thus far.

“It showed major improvement and I feel confident we will be very successful in the rest of our district games,” McCarthy said.

“It was our best game so far and I was excited and proud of the team,” senior Amiel Terry added.

Head Coach Robert Terry also cited the team’s improvement, noting its increased energy and strong defensive performance in the loss to Lake Braddock.

“The energy has improved drastically since the start of the season,” Terry said. “I thought defensively we pressed them and caused chaos.”

Now halfway through their season, wins have not come easy for the Atoms, who also fell to nationally ranked Montrose Christian 24-77 on Jan. 11. The team was 1-10 before taking on South County on Jan. 13 and T.C. Williams on Jan. 17, both of which ended too late to be covered in this issue.

All that remains for the team are seven district match-ups, giving the Atoms a chance to face off against opponents they have already seen once this year. This will begin on Jan. 20, when they square off against W.T. Woodson at home.

“The key to breaking them is to press them and execute our offense,” McCarthy said.

“I’m excited to play Woodson on our home court,” senior Tyler Schwartz said. “Our team is more equipped and skilled to win the game.”

This match-up is especially important to the Atoms, as upsetting one of the district top seeds could supply the team with much-needed momentum heading into the postseason.

“[We need to] continue to grow offensively as far as execution and knowing when and where to take good shots and what a good shot is,” Terry said. “I think our kids are starting to realize our potential and we’re going to be hard to beat the second half of the season.”

To view the results from the Atoms’ games against South County and T.C. Williams, visit www.thea-blast.org.