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DigitalSports intern Neal Chhabra talks with Lake Braddock's Art Sinthorntham.
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By Nakul Bhatia, South County Student
 and Neal Chhabra, Lake Braddock Student
 DigitalSports Interns

**Click the links above to access a photo gallery, video highlights and interviews from Monday's game.

Led by the pesky defense of junior guard Patch McLucas, Lake Braddock defeated West Potomac, 59-45, on Monday night.

When asked what he does to frustrate the offense, McLucas said simply: "Get physical with them."

McLucas, Lake Braddock's top defender, usually covers the opponent's best player. His tough defense causes mistakes by the opponent.

In the first quarter, McLucas and the Bruins forced seven turnovers in the first six minutes. But that tough defense was not backed up with solid offense. West Potomac also played strong defensively, holding the Bruins' top scorer, senior guard Dominic Morra, to only two points in the quarter.

The lack of offense by the Bruins allowed the Wolverines to hold a 9-8 advantage after the first period.

In the second quarter, Lake Braddock started out with a full court press and, as a result, the Bruins' offense came alive. Senior forward Art Sinthorntham helped spring the offense. Sinthorntham finished with 16 points in the game.

"The players put me in position to score," Sinthorntham said, crediting his scoring to rebounds and putbacks.

At the end of the half, the Wolverines drained a buzzer-beating, three-pointer to tie the game at 24.

The Bruins lost their second leading scorer, junior guard Ryan Curtis, to a lower leg injury last week. With Curtis out for the season, the Bruins looked to other players for scoring.

Senior forward Jared Watson was able to step up, starting the second half with seven straight points. The Bruins also used a lineup with their three big men -- Carl Farley, Watson, and Sinthorntham -- and the size advantage helped the Bruins build a substantial lead.

"We have a lot of chemistry together," Watson said. "We know what to do in certain situations."

The Bruins' entered the fourth quarter with a 35-29 advantage. Morra spent most of the second half in foul trouble, forcing the Bruins' to take him out on defense. Freshman guard Greg Jones stepped in and played solid defense for the Bruins. Morra came in on offensive possessions and, along with Sinthorntham and Watson, his scoring was able to put the game away.

Morra and Watson ended the game with 14 and 17 points respectively.

The Bruins overcame offensive woes with hard-nosed defense. Such defense should make their match-up with the Patriot District leading Hayfield an intriguing game on Thursday night.

The Wolverines, meanwhile, will try to rebound Thursday night at home against West Springfield.