Churchill Defeats Wootton 60-48
Written by: Churchill Boys Basketball Sports Information Staff
ROCKVILLE, MD - Churchill raced to a 26-15 lead at the half behind tough defense and opportunistic scoring en route to a 60-48 road victory over Wootton Friday evening in 4A West Division play.
The victory snapped the Bulldogs' two-game losing streak and enabled Churchill to sweep the regular season series against Wootton for the first time in several years.
Junior Will Lewis ignited the Bulldogs' offense with a game high 17 points including a 13-point second half (with 3 three-pointers).
Senior Jake Eskin added 11 points and displayed senior leadership down the stretch. Sophomores Thomas Geenen and Christian Bonaparte along with Junior Jesse Simon provided timely plays for the Bulldogs while senior Michael Ely and junior Jordan Bass contributed clutch baskets.
With the victory, Churchill's record is now 7-9 overall and 3-6 in the 4A West Division.
BOX SCORE
January 29, 2010 at Wootton
Churchill 60
Lewis 17
Eskin 11
Simon 7
Ely 7
Bass 6
Bonaparte 6
Geenen 4
Edens 2
Bonaparte 4
Wootton 48
No individual stats
HALFTIME SCORE:
Churchill 26 Wootton 15
QUOTES:
Churchill Head Coach Matt Miller:
On his thoughts about the game ...
"Wow, we just beat what I think everyone thinks is a very good team and we were able to do it for a second time this year. It was really a group effort tonight - everyone contributed to this victory. Guys were flying around and just getting after it.
That's all we really ask of our kids before each game. The one thing I am learning about this team is that they are resilient. We lost two games earlier this week including one where we lost a 13-point halftime lead but they didn't hang their heads and they fought back tonight.
I am just proud of everyone because we left it all out there this evening. Hopefully, we grew up tonight as a basketball team and we can carry this over to future games."
On Will Lewis' performance ...
"Will probably had his best all-around game of the season this evening. He shot it well, he passed it well, he handled it well when needed and he defended well. He hit some really big shots for us in the second half. His confidence is starting to grow and you are seeing the results."
What about Jake Eskin's leadership ...
"Jake had a great floor general game tonight. He let the game come to him tonight and didn't force much of anything. When he does that, he is a really effective point guard and an outstanding player.
Jake spent the night making all of his teammates better and while that stat doesn't show up in the boxscore, our coaching staff certainly recognizes it and so do his teammates."
What about some of the other contributions ...
"Again, it was an entire roster thing tonight. Sure Will and Jake led us tonight but they would be the first to tell you that we don't win this game without all of the other guys. If Thomas Geenen doesn't rebound and attack the rim a few times, we don't win.
If Michael Ely and Jesse Simon don't provide some key rebounds and finishes, we don't win. Jordan Bass' 3-pointer right before half was important because it kept the momentum with us. And certainly Christian Bonaparte gave us a huge spark off the bench with some steals and some points.
Kyle Edwards had a couple of blocks and a nice pass. George Nichols, Sam Edens and Alex Askinazi also gave us a lift off the bench. Again, it was just guys finding ways to contribute up and down the roster."
On Churchill's next opponent (Walter Johnson) ...
"It's another important division game that we need to win. I know they are going to come into the game with the mindset that they can win. So we have to be ready to play and put tonight in the rearview mirror.
If we think we can just show up and win Tuesday we will be in real trouble. We're not good enough to overlook anybody."
NEXT GAMES:
Monday February 1, 2010
Junior Varsity v. Walter Johnson at 3:30 pm @ WJ
Tuesday February 2, 2010
Varsity v. Walter Johnson at 5:15 pm @ WCHS
You can visit our site at www.leaguelineup.com/churchillboysbasketball.
