Saxons Outlast Madison 46-38
FAIRFAX, VA- In the 1st of 2 semi-final games in the Northern Region championship tournament Friday night,
Liberty District foes, the Langley Saxons (19-4), and the James Madison Warhawks (18-5), met for the 4th time on the season, and both teams had a score to settle. The two teams split wins during the regular season, and the Saxons broke the tie breaker in the Liberty District Tournament, by coming up with a narrow win over the Warhawks.
Madison looked to avenge that tournament loss from the start of the first quarter as they jumped out to a 12-7 lead. They out rebounded Langley and seemed all around more patient with their shot selection. Senior Drew Smerdinski and junior Omi Ogolo led the way for the Warhawks with 4 points apiece. Langley only had three baskets in the first half, led by senior center, Ahmed Malik with 4 points. Junior Derek Baker also chipped in a triple for the Saxons.
In the second quarter, the Saxons fought back and showed they meant business when junior, Thomas Kody opened up with a three pointer to close the gap to within two. From that point on, it was a close game for the rest of the quarter. With just five seconds to go, Ogolo hit a three pointer to give the Warhawks a 19-16 halftime lead. Ogolo led the scoring for the Warhawks with seven points at halftime. Senior Collin Flaherty also chipped in six points for Madison. Baker proved to be hot from the outside with a team leading seven points for the Saxons.
The third quarter turned into a running battle. Both teams were trying to rush the other team's defense down the court. The fast paced quarter worked in Langley's favor as they opened up an 11-2 run over the course of six minutes. The Warhawks then found themselves plagued by cold shooting from the outside. It seemed like the Saxons couldn't miss, as they dominated from the inside and pulled down rebound after rebound. Kody got the Saxons fired up with five big points. Langley led Madison 32-24 at the end of the third.
Madison continued to become flustered as missed shots and foul trouble crippled their chances for a comeback. The Saxons stretched their lead to as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter. Langley had three players in double figures with Malik leading the way with 11 points. Flaherty led the charge for the Warhawks with 10 points. A technical foul by Madison head coach Chris Kuhblank seemed to inspire Madison as they closed the gap to as few as six points. However, in the end, the Saxons proved to be the best of the Liberty District by winning by a final score of 46-38. The Saxons will advance to the Northern Region Championship game tomorrow night at 9 pm.
