AHS Varsity basketball faced the George Mason Mustangs in a scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 20, that showed positive signs to look forward to during the season. The team played four regular quarters and a fifth quarter that had an eight minute running clock.

The Atoms barely outscored the Mustangs in the first and second quarters with a score of 14-13 and 13-12 respectively. Then they struggled in the third quarter, having difficulty defending and putting up points as they ended up scoring only nine points as opposed to the Mustangs 23 points.

Similarly, in the fourth quarter the Atoms were not able to execute, resulting in scoring only six points while the Mustangs scored 18.

Despite the struggle in the third and fourth quarter, the Atoms were able to bounce back in the 5th quarter with a score of 16-11.

“I feel like we are headed in a positive direction and are gaining chemistry,” senior Dini Mohamud said.

The scrimmages are helping the team practice plays against other teams and are helping them learn what works and what doesn’t. Players are getting the chance to learn how they match up against the opponents while collaborating in a group effort.

“I think it is good that we got to play against another team before the regular season to see what we really need to improve on,” junior Dontae Johnson said.

Although the Atoms did display the talent that they have, there are still things that they need to improve on.

“Our strengths during the scrimmage were jump shooting and ball movement,” junior Jordan Adams said. “What we need to work on is not turning the ball over and sloppy passes.”

Basketball, known for bringing huge crowds to games, is here and with that comes chants, shoe squeaking and buzzer beaters fans are sure to welcome back.