Landon Blows Out Bullis 60-40
Landon dominated the rebound battle and played superb defense to elevate their record to 14-4.
Photo By: Paolo Galli / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Landon captain Danny Rubin scored a game high 22 points for the Bears.
Photo By: Paolo Galli / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Bullis Senior Ryan Wright led his team with 16 points.
Photo By: Paolo Galli / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Written by: Kelechi Ukpabi
BETHESDA, MD- Basketball fans packed into the Riddleberger Gymnasium on the Landon School campus to witness the Bears top the Bullis Bulldogs in a hard fought 60-40 victory Tuesday night. Landon dominated the rebound battle and played superb defense to elevate their record to 14-4.
Bullis, who falls to 8-9, played hard and with spirit but could not withstand Landon's tough man to man defense and their pinpoint outside shooting. Landon is coming off a big win over the weekend against Georgetown Prep and Coach Andy Luther credits his team's execution and focused preparation as keys to victory.
"We had to prepare for Bullis just as much as any other team in this league. Our boys, with a big win on Saturday vs. Prep, needed to come back and get to work quickly and they were excellent at doing that...We had to make sure we could execute against anything they (Bullis) threw at us defensively and we could not them dictate their offense on us" said Luther.
Landon began the game with their intense man to man defense. Landon players tightly defended the passing lanes and contested almost every shot Bullis threw up. The Bulldogs only managed to score 12 points in the first period due to their consistent defensive pressure and ability control the offensive and defensive boards.
Landon senior Danny Rubin hit two three pointers in the 1st quarter and had 10 of his game high 22 points in the opening period. Rubin and the Bears led 19-12 after one quarter of play.
Even though he led all scorers, Rubin, the 6'5'' team captain, remains an unselfish player and humble teammate. He also recognizes what he has to work on to play at the college level.
"I trust my teammates a lot...I know if I feed the ball to them it will open up shots for me. To get to the next level, I have to work on my ball handling, strength, and improve my shot" said Rubin.
The 2nd quarter started off slow and Bullis put forth a much better defensive effort in the period. The Bulldogs got within seven points when Ryan Wright, Bullis' senior leader, scored on an acrobatic layup and was also fouled on the play.
Wright cashed in on the free throw and the score stood at 24-17. That would be the closest Bullis would get as Landon would go on to finish the quarter on a strong note when 6'7''senior Darion Atkins, who finished with 10 points, scored on a monstrous two-hand jam with 1:00 left before the half.
The crowd jumped to their feet and went wild after the dunk by Atkins as the Bullis players were left with dejected looks.
Landon began the 3rd quarter with their tough man to man defense. Both teams started out sluggish, but all players on the floor hustled hard diving for lose balls and playing up-tempo defense.
After a three pointer from Bullis' Joe Hazel, the Bears answered back with their on long distance sharp shooters with three pointers from Kai Kight and Rubin to put the score at 36-22 with Landon in the lead.
As the 3rd quarter progressed, Landon continued to execute extreme ball pressure on Ryan Wright and the Bullis guards. The Bears' pressure created turnovers and forced the Bulldogs to make bad decisions on the offensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, Landon began to attack the baskets more vigorously and piled up team fouls on Bullis.
Leading the way on defense was 6'6'' junior Chris Hudnut. Hudnut had several impressive hustle plays tonight along with 4 huge blocks. Along with his inside presence, Hudnut was also a force on the offensive glass, giving his team second chance opportunities.
With Hudnut and the Bears' defensive effort coupled with their outside shooting, Landon finished the third quarter with a 44-26 lead; only surrendering 7 points in the period.
Landon sophomore sensation Joe McDonald took over in the 4th quarter and helped Landon maintain their cushion. McDonald scored 6 of his 12 points in the final period. Two of his buckets in the quarter came off of offensive rebounds and McDonald gave his team the momentum they needed to finish the game strong and keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Landon continued to dominate on the glass by boxing out the Bullis frontcourt players and out hustling the Bulldogs on lose balls. Bullis did play hard throughout the 4th did not stop fighting, but could not keep up with the Bears.
Landon finished the game milking the clock and running plays out of there offensive set. The Bears did not let up on their defensive pressure and did not give Bullis any hope on staging a dramatic comeback.
One of the few bright spots for Bullis was Ryan Wright. The senior floor general played his heart out and finished with a team high 16 points. Wright displayed his lightning quickness and shooting touch throughout the game, but his effort would not be enough as the Bulldogs succumbed to a 20 point defeat.
Episcopal is next on the schedule for Landon and Coach Luther recognizes the challenge ahead for his basketball squad.
"They beat us in overtime at their place and their extremely well coached and very talented...All I want to do right now is beat Episcopal on Friday; In order to do that we have to be a little more versatile and patient on offense."
