The boys basketball team ended its season in disappointing, yet fitting fashion Friday.
A talented group with plenty of potential, Northwest used a 17-0 run to build a 37-25 lead late in the second quarter of its postseason matchup with Walter Johnson. But in an all-too-familiar scene, glimpses of ability did not lead to victory for the Jaguars.
No. 11 Northwest lost to No. 6 Walter Johnson 71-60 during the opening round of the 4A West regional tournament at WJ in Bethesda.
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Northwest junior Ramel Davidson drove to the rim and scored with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Jaguars a 45-35 lead. But Northwest went cold and Walter Johnson took control of the game with a 27-2 run, holding the Jaguars scoreless for a seven-minute stretch.
Northwest senior guards Detrick Hoes, Brian Duruji and Bruke Fasil each watched the game from the stands dressed in street clothes. Jaguars head coach Jesse Irvin said the trio missed the game for disciplinary reasons. Hoes scored 42 points during a 73-71 win over Walter Johnson on Feb. 11.
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“In a playoff game, I had nine players that were allowed to dress. To me, that says it right there,” Irvin said. "We got a great draw. Nothing against Walter Johnson, they’re a good team, but we match up well against them. I thought we match up well against [No. 3] Churchill. My expectation was we were going to the third round or beyond.
“I thought we could be very successful this year, so to lose in the first round, the season is a disappointment. ... We have a better team than a first-round playoff loss. I just hope the kids realize that, because I don't know if all of them realize that we were good enough."
The short-handed Jaguars trailed 25-20 midway through the second quarter, when junior guard Jake Fakler buried a 3-pointer, sparking a 17-0 Northwest run. Senior guard Jordan Simpson capped the run with a three-point play, giving the Jaguars a 37-25 advantage. Walter Johnson went more than five minutes without scoring before a putback by Michael Lumbuku and a transition basket by Harrison Gibert cut the Wildcats’ deficit to eight entering halftime.
Northwest junior guard Thomas Candland and Fakler buried 3-pointers early in the third quarter, and Davidson scored at the rim, but the Jaguars (10-12) couldn’t recover from the ensuing scoring drought.
“The fact that we had a 10-point lead says something about the integrity of the guys we had out there,” Irvin said.
Fakler led Northwest with 14 points and Candland scored 11. Davidson finished with 10 points, Zack Berch scored eight and Shardrack Agyeman added six.
“We did good --- we had them --- and then they started knocking down shots,” Candland said. “Their pressure got to us, too. We had some turnovers in the third quarter that just killed us.”
Gibert led Walter Johnson (8-15) with 21 points, including 11 during the Wildcats’ 27-2 run.
“I think Harrison Gibert sort of stepped up and just decided he was going to take over a little bit,” Walter Johnson head coach Bill Morris said.
Sean Poosson finished with 20 points for Walter Johnson and Lumbuku added 12.
The Wildcats, who finished 1-21 last season, will face No. 3 Churchill in the quarterfinals on Monday.
“The boys have been great all year,” Morris said. “Everything’s been going in the right direction.”
