QO Upset-Minded at Magruder; Wootton Looks to Advance at Home

Quince Orchard's and Wootton's boys' varsity basketball teams are each in the quarterfinals of the 4A West region bracket, but their journey to meet in the semifinals will take very different paths.

The Cougars must go on the road to challenge top-seeded Magruder, while the Patriots, No. 4 in the region, stay home to face Rockville rival Richard Montgomery.

Magruder a "Tall Order" for Quince Orchard

Paul Foringer and his Quince Orchard Cougars have “a tall order” Tuesday night when they match up against Magruder (22-1) in the 4A West Region.

“Magruder is one of the best teams I’ve seen in 10 years in Montgomery County,” admitted Foringer, who has seen his fair share of teams in 32 years of coaching. “There’s not a team in Montgomery County that can match up with them. We’re going to keep it as close as we can for as long as we can.”

The Cougars (8-15) have not fared well in their previous two match-ups with the Colonels this season. The two teams met on the court twice in January, with Magruder outscoring Quince Orchard 149-67.

“We are going to have to try and not turn the ball over and take care of it better,” Foringer said. “You can’t give Magruder more possessions with the basketball. It’s the kiss of death.”

The Colonels’ only loss this season came to DeMatha on Dec. 6. Since then, they have rattled off 22 straight wins, 13 of them by more than 20 points. Just three teams came within single digits of Magruder’s lead.

One of the three to hang tough with the high-flying Colonels is Blake, whom Quince Orchard battled step-for-step earlier in the season. If it can play with the passion it did against Blake, it can stick with Magruder, Foringer said.

“If the kids show up with the same intensity and determination they have been all February you never know what can happen,” Foringer said. “But it is a tall order, there’s no question about it.”

Wootton and RM Set for Rubber Match

Tuesday night marks the rubber match between Wootton and Richard Montgomery in the boys’ basketball 4A West Region. The Patriots (14-9) won the first bout, 66-64, on Dec. 21, but a month later the Rockets (10-13) snuck past them in a, 51-45, win.

Both teams have seen their ups and downs this season. The Patriots’ loss to RM was the second amid a four-game losing skid, and the Rockets struggled to the finish line this season, dropping eight of their final 10 games.

Wootton has held teams to less than 50 points seven times this season. It will have to stop RM's Justin Senou, who is averaging just less than 16 points per game. The junior guard has logged nine 20-point games this season. His 22-point performance against Wootton proved to be the difference in the Rocket's win over the Patriots. 

The winner will go on to face the victor of the Quince Orchard and Magruder matchup on March 1.