Lake Braddock snior Ian Asinugo scored the first two points before the game even started. He caught fire in the third, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the period.
Bruins' junior Dominic Morra put the team on his shoulders, scoring a game-high 27 points and going 10-for-11 from the foul line as the Bruins rolled past the seventh-ranked Atoms.
By Phil Murphy
DigitalSports.com
**Check the below the story for a video player with highlights.**
If Tuesday's game between No. 7 Annandale and Lake Braddock was any
indication, there is another unpredictable playoff season brewing.
For starters, there was no opening tip.
The Atoms, who had won six straight prior to losing two of their last
three, dug themselves a hole before the first second ran off of the
clock.
An error was found in Annandale's official score book -- a technical foul
by rule -- and was noticed by game officials.
Lake Braddock was awarded
two free throws, which senior
Ian Asinugo (14 points) made without difficulty. As a result of the technical, the Bruins inbounded the ball to start the game.
And things only got worse for Annandale. The most potent offense in the Northern Region was held scoreless
for nearly six minutes of game play spanning the third and fourth
quarters.
When all the dust settled, it was the host Bruins who prevailed, 74-53. Lake Braddock has now won four of its last five games.
"We went on a winning streak for a couple of games and then we had a heart-breaker against Hayfield," said Bruins' junior guard
Dominic Morra. "This game was huge.
"Coach [
Brian Metress] said the only way to play this game was
with pure aggression. We came out and we wanted every
loose ball. We were diving all over the place and going into the
stands. We were everywhere."
Tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter, the teams traded buckets to open the second. A Morra-assisted basket regained the lead for Lake Braddock -- one they held throughout the remainder of the game.
Annandale hinted at a comeback with just over three minutes left in the third quarter when senior
Erik Etherly
(eight points) converted a layup and drew a foul to cut the Bruins' lead to 43-39, but the Atoms would not score again until the 4:40 mark of the fourth quarter. By that time, Lake Braddock had stretched the spread to 18 points.
Entering the game, the Atoms were averaging a Northern Region-best 71.4
points per outing. The 53 points scored is their second fewest in regional play
this year. They were limited to 49 in a loss to Stuart on Dec. 7.
"Annandale scores a lot of points," said Lake Braddock senior
Haben Petros,
who finished with 14 points en route to a double-double. "We knew we
had to shut down Etherly. We knew if we could do that, we'd have
a chance.
"We put some more guards on him ... He only took about eight shots, so
it definitely worked out. We just tried to limit them to one shot. Just
give one shot, get it out and go. It worked."
In addition to the emblematic intensity of Patriot District game, a Tuesday-morning
Washington Post
article praising Annandale’s offensive prowess caught the eye – and ire
– of Lake Braddock. The bulletin board motivation had Morra at his
prime in a dominant 27-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist performance.
"Coach told us to attack the rim," Morra said. "Last game, Etherly altered
all of our shots. [Metress] said to go right at him. If he comes, dish
it. If not, take the layup.
"I had a couple bad ones. A lot of them went in, though."
Ever the perfectionist, Morra joked that -- if turnovers counted -- he may have flirted with a triple-double.
"Today was a big game," Petros said. "Last game, we lost to Hayfield by
one point on a missed tip-in. We realize that every game matters and
every game is important. We have to get into every game.
"We have to win out and get that momentum going. We’re just going to take it one game at a time."
Note: Four miles down Braddock Road, the
Atoms' girls team defeated the visiting Bruins, 35-25. In its best
defensive effort of the season, Annandale held a 13-5 advantage at half
time.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Annandale 14 13 12 14 -- 53
Lake Braddock 14 15 21 24 -- 74
Annandale -- Washington 5 2-2 14; Etherly 4 4-8 12; Boyce 4 2-4 11; Booker 3 0-0 6; Robinson 2 0-2 4; Ma 1 0-0 2; Stalp 1 0-0 2; Anderson 0 1-2 1 . Team totals: 20 9-19 53.
Lake Braddock -- Morra 8 10-11 27; Petros 5 4-4 14; Asinugo 5 3-5 14; McLucas 3 4-4 10; Watson 2
2-2 6; Curtis 1 1-2 3. Team totals: 24 24-28 74.
Three pointers -- Annandale 4 (Washington 3, Boyce); Lake Braddock 2 (Morra, Asinugo).