Average Is Best For "Men Of Troy" Hoopsters
ASHBURN, VA - Despite being an overall losing record, the Broad Run Spartans found themselves coming into last night's game tied for 1st in the Dulles District. A unique situation. Not only would a win have meant a return to .500, but it would also ensure them a spot atop the Dulles District standings. And while the Spartans can't say their play in non-district games this season has been stellar, they can certainly lay claim to the fact that they've taken care of business in Loudoun County. On Friday night, they again took out a district opponent, and this time it was against Park View--a team sharing the 3-team lead in the Dulles.
Staving off a late 4th quarter rally by the visiting Patriots, the Spartans were able to escape with a 61-55 victory as their record improved to 6-6 overall, but 4-1 in district play. Led by guard RJ Jasper's 14 points, Broad Run was able to capitalize on contributions from ten different scorers and 19 bench points, as a balanced scoring attack paced the Spartans the whole night.
Entering the half down 30-19, the Patriots failed to get into any offensive rhythm. Thomas Mulabah, at the half, had poured in eight points followed by Marcus Freeman's five, but up to that point no other player had managed to score more than two points.
Meanwhile for Broad Run, a steady scoring attack from Jasper, Devon Earl, and Scott Hiatt gave them a good-sized lead throughout the game. Points from the bench also came in bunches, as their offense and transition game looked flawless in the early going.
Yet to open up the half, the Patriots proceeded to go on a scoring run to pull to within 6, but the Spartans answered quickly. Led by a fast-paced transition game, Broad Run regained its 10 point lead and enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout the 3rd quarter. As was the case earlier in the game, Park View experienced cold shooting spells, but Mulabah would change their fortunes in a hurry.
The big 6-foot-2 forward for Park View would single-handily bring his team within reach, as he proceeded to end the quarter with six straight points. Oftentimes force-fed the ball, Mulabah proved to be quite a problem for the Spartan defense.
In the 4th quarter, it was more of Mulabah as he slowly took over the game. Having his way down in the paint, it took, many times, triple-teams from Broad Run to successfully fend him off. Yet, by the time the Spartan defense started to collapse hard to Mulabah, it was the guard play of Freeman, CJ Leizear, and Danny Foley, that helped pick up the slack.
Park View would eventually cut the lead to 2 points with two minutes left, but Broad Run turned off the lights on the Patriot comeback. Up only 51-49, head coach Larry Boomer made a gutsy call and went into stall mode early. Unable to come up with a steal, Park View was forced to foul with over two minutes left, and some sharp Spartan free throw shooting put the game on ice. Any last-second comeback attempts would also be successfully stopped thanks, in part, to the successes on the free-throw line for the Spartans, and key defensive rebounds by Spartan Shane Johnson.
Broad Run will now move on to play at Potomac Falls, a team that has suddenly found its stride, while Park View heads home to play Briar Woods. Both games are on Monday, January 14, at 7:30 pm.
