Behind McDonald, Landon Holds On in Season Opener

There was little doubt Joe McDonald was going to shoot with his  basketball team tied, 50-50, and with less than five minutes remaining against visiting Sidwell Friends on Monday night.

Coach Andy Luther has come to expect his junior to take the lead in such situations.

The only remaining mystery at the moment was how McDonald would attack.

He paused with the ball near half court, faked right, dribbled left and beat Quaker guard Jamal Lewis down the left side of the lane for a lay-up. Landon led, 52-50, and would not relinquish the lead in a 70-65 season opening win defined by McDonald's all-around offensive display.

"He's the complete package," Luther said. "He is our poise and coolness."

McDonald scored 25 points, many in pivotal moments, to steady the Bears in both the first and fourth quarters.

After the Quakers (0-1) outscored Landon (1-0) 17-11 in the third quarter to take a 46-44 lead, McDonald remained patient. With the score knotted at 50, he ripped the ball away from a Quaker dribbler, which set up his key bucket.

McDonald then hit four free throws down the stretch and the Bears, despite a few miscues near the final buzzer, were able to hold on.

McDonald's 11-point outburst in the first quarter took Landon from down six points to ahead by two heading into the second.

The point guard made a contested lay-up, hit a three-pointer, crossed over a defender and made a step-back jumper before drawing a foul and hitting two free throws during the roughly four-minute stretch.

"We want that to become contagious like it's always been. It will," Luther said. "That will spread to our other guards. Our other guards will get that and they will continue to play like him. That's the effect he has on this team."

Virginia-bound forward Darion Atkins finished with 10 points, but his imprint on the game came mainly on the defensive end, where he blocked shots and influenced a number of other wayward attempts by Sidwell Friends shooters.

Luther hopes the Bears will be prepared in time for a demanding IAC schedule, and said the win on Monday was both encouraging and left a lot to improve.

"There weren't a lot of high fives in the locker room," Luther said. "We got some key rebounds down the stretch and I think our key this year is gonna be our grit. Our league is going to be brutal and those guts are going to be called out every night."

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