Three Teams Fight For The Top In The Dulles
At the midway point in the Dulles District, three teams are vying for the top spot. Potomac Falls, Broad Run and Park View are currently the front runners to claim a Dulles District title this season...
Photo By: Yvette Gagnon / GamedayMagazine | VIEW GALLERY
Broad Run's Kevin McGaughey is tops in the Dulles District as the leading scorer. McGaughey is averaging 22.4 points per game so far this season...
Photo By: Yvette Gagnon / GamedayMagazine | VIEW GALLERY
Sophomore point guard Myles Tate is lighting it up on the hardwood this season as the third leading scorer in the Dulles District...
Photo By: Chuck Moore / GamedayMagazine
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA - The AA Dulles District has reached its traditional midway point on MLK weekend with a somewhat strange new look but common elements of success. With the promotion of Heritage to the AAA Cedar Run district, the Dulles now has only 7 teams, making each of 12 district games more critical for positioning for the postseason. And, the three teams at the top - the Potomac Falls Panthers, the Broad Run Spartans, and the Park View Patriots - share similar characteristics in their hunt for the title: a dynamic high scorer, a strong supporting cast, and a lethal combination of speed and pressure.
Dulles District Standings as of Jan.15th:
District Overall
W L GB W L
Potomac Falls 5 0 11 1
Broad Run 5 1 0.5 15 1
Park View 4 1 1 9 4
Briar Woods 2 4 3.5 5 8
Dominion 2 4 3.5 2 12
Loudoun County 1 5 4.5 6 8
Freedom 1 5 4.5 3 13
The Potomac Falls Panthers remain unbeaten in the district and are showing the benefits of last season's youth movement. Junior Lucas Mihailovich started showing hoops junkies how far he had progressed in summer and fall leagues and now has emerged as a tenacious player who is second in scoring in the Dulles with 21.5 ppg. Gifted with an uncanny sense of always being in the right place at the right time, "Agent Double Double" is as comfortable scoring on the putback as on the long jumper. Mihailovich has also emerged as a clutch player (50 points vs. Stone Bridge, including the winning 3 in overtime from mid-court) and team leader, but he will be the first to tell you that the Panthers' strength lies in their team depth. Junior Zach Curren has capably taken over point guard duties, Sophomore Greg Graves (8.4 ppg) continues to grow and impress in the post, and junior Brendon Chesson (11.0 ppg) has emerged as both a scorer and defender in his first year on the varsity.
Coach Jeff Hawes also has taken to using the depth of his bench with a Purple team/White team strategy, bringing in capable reserves such as Pete Simoneau, Tarrell Owens, Garrett Hanson, and Ben Sweger. This depth allows the Panthers to spend a lot of energy pressing on defense and pushing the ball up the floor, and thus far their execution of the Hawes system has been near perfect. The second half of the season will test their resolve, however, as the Panthers must navigate a home-home series with Park View next week due to weather cancellations and face a grudge laden rematch with Broad Run in Sterling on the 29th.
The Spartans are still smarting from the last second loss to the Panthers in December, the only blemish on their record. Led by Dulles scoring leader Kevin "Obi-wan" McGaughey (22.4 ppg), the Spartans have been winning big - by an average of nearly 18 points per game. The Jedi Spartan has seen a change in role as he has had to concentrate on interior defense given the graduation of several of the Spartans big men last year, but he has improved his overall game while keeping his calm, unflappable demeanor on the court. McGaughey is freed up to roam and create by a strong and sometimes overlooked roster of teammates. The "Ashburn Slasher," senior forward Ahmad Zafar (13.2 ppg) has demonstrated a deadly quick first step to either side that gets him to the rim and often the foul line. Eric Hiatt has taken over for Breon Earl at the point, junior DaDa Johnson is a speedy scoring threat, and Taylor "T-bone" Johnson has continued to get better as he learns to create his own shots. The nicest surprise for coach John Costello, however, may be the play of forward Ali Janjua. "His role is to stay in the paint, play defense, and get rebounds," said Costello, and the senior has relished his role of filling up the secondary stat sheet for the Spartans.
Two things make the Spartans particularly scary. The first is their ability to release a guard and score quickly off either a made basket or a rebound before opponents have a chance to react. The second is a frenetic and multi-dimensional defense. Costello prefers to attack with a pressing man-to-man, but he has been "surprised at the amount of zone we have played." In either a 1-3-1 or 2-3 set, the Spartans use speed and discipline to execute a zone defense that seems to breathe, extending outside the arc to pressure jump shooters while able to collapse quickly inside onto driving or passing lanes. McGaughey is the steady hand that can use his talent to smooth over rough patches, but the heart of the Spartans is a hungry defense that feeds a killer instinct on offense. In addition to awaiting the Panthers in their own version of the Gates of Fire, the Spartans must travel to Park View in the second half, and they cannot get caught overlooking any opponent seeking to get the big upset.
While perhaps somewhat in the shadow of one-loss Potomac Falls and Broad Run, the Park View Patriots are making waves under second year coach Mike Koscinski. The Patriots are led by junior guard Ryan McCarter, who with 19.9 points per game stands fourth in the league behind McGaughey, Mihailovich, and Briar Woods' Myles Tate (20.5 ppg). McCarter was promoted from the junior varsity late last season and has become a reliable and versatile scorer. However, the heart of the Patriots beats in three of their senior leaders. "Junkyard" Jordan Owens (13.8 ppg) anchors the squad as its best defensive stopper and through his effort on the boards. Owens had a breakout game versus Briar Woods as he combined with McCarter to hold Tate to a season low 8 points and scored 24 points, most on second chance opportunities. Jordan's intensity - which wears out opponents as much as mouthguards - continued into the next two games, where he scored a combined 38 points and continued a streak of double-doubles. "Jordan never asks me about getting his shot," said Koscinski after the Briar Woods game. "He does whatever it takes to win, so I am really happy to see him coming through on the scoring side as well."
The Patriots also rely on the guts and grit of seniors Brandon Lee and J.R. Shooks, who combined give them what is largely missing in the Dulles this season, a low post game. Shooks has shown tremendous heart and determination fighting through injuries to control the paint on defense and average over 10 points per game, while Lee has stepped up his game to spell his teammate as well as stepping up to be a scoring threat that cannot be ignored. The Patriots have to power to control Dulles destinies as they host both the Panthers and the Spartans in the second half of the season. Trailing the lead by only one game, however, the destiny they are most interested in is their own.
Dulles District Scoring Leaders (through Jan. 15)
Kevin McGaughey: Broad Run 22.4
Lucas Mihailovich: Potomac Falls 21.5
Myles Tate: Briar Woods 20.5
Ryan McCarter: Park View 19.9
Given the reduction to 7 teams, winning the regular season in the Dulles district this year carries an extra bonus of a first round bye in the league tournament. Dominion, Freedom, Loudoun County, and Briar Woods will continue to play hard and will surely land some upsets (the home team is winning 70% of the time thus far), but look for the eventual champion to come from one of these three balanced, deep, and talented teams.
