WJ boys’ basketball falls to RM and Gaithersburg, defeats Rockville

Audrey Ring, Online Sports Editor • January 17, 2023

Sophomore Jordan Silverstein races down the court on a fast break. The Rockville game was the first victory the Wildcats had in six games.

Jan. 9-13, the boys’ basketball team competed in three games. They faced Richard Montgomery, Gaithersburg and Rockville High School. The week ended with two losses and a win.

On Jan. 9 the Wildcats played in an away game against the Richard Montgomery Rockets. Both teams played solid man-to-man defense ending the first half with a three-point lead. Seniors Christon Wright and Dejohn Blunt showed up on offense throughout the first half.

The Rockets picked up the pace in the second half, consistently finishing in the paint. The Wildcats continued to apply pressure on defense but struggled to find open offensive opportunities. The game ended 89-72 for the Rockets.

The match-up against Gaithersburg on Jan. 11 was one of the closest games in the season. The Wildcats and Trojans both played man-to-man defense during the first half. With the competition so tight, neither team was in the lead for long without the other coming back.

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In the third quarter, the Trojans gained the highest lead of the game with eight points. But, it didn’t take long for the Wildcats to close the gap. In the fourth, the Wildcats switched to a 2-3 defense.

With one minute left in the game, WJ tied it up; however, the Trojans managed to find open spaces in the paint, ending the game 53-56.

“We were able to win the rebound battle for the majority of the game which was huge in limiting the number of possessions Gaithersburg had. But at the end of the day, we hurt ourselves by shooting 13/25 from the free-throw line while they were above 70% from the line,” junior Ben Kim said.

On Friday, Jan. 13, the Wildcats defeated the Rockville Rams. Although the Wildcats didn’t come out strong in the first couple of plays, they worked it out and stuck to what they know. After that, the WJ kept the lead the entire game.

Senior Dejohn Blunt led the Wildcats with 12 points. After six losses, WJ got their win against the Rams ending the game 67-44.

“It felt really good to win a game, get back on track and hit that three at the end of the game,” junior Wills Baker said.