Sports
Saxons Blow Away South Lakes; Earn District Title
Fourth championship in as many years keyed by Adams, Vasiliadis
Winning the Liberty District championship never gets old for the Langley Saxons.
Coach Travis Hess was just as excited about getting to cut down the net in Byrd Gymnasium at South Lakes High School on Friday night after the Saxons’ impressive 64-37 win over the Seahawks on Friday evening as he was the first time he did it four years ago.
“It’s pretty fun to win,” he said, awaiting his turn with the scissors. “This is what we talk about at the beginning of the season. This is what we work for. … It’s a great feeling. It’s great for the kids. … I’m so happy that it’s all come to fruition.”
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The Saxons got out to an early lead in their opponents’ home gym. It was odd to see the “guest” side of the scoreboard change whenever South Lakes scored. But as the No. 1 seed, the Saxons had the privilege of being the home team, and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the owned the court, holding a 52-33 advantage.
South Lakes, in spite of the friendly environs (though the Langley crowd got louder as the game went on) looked as if it was uncomfortable shooting at its home rims. The Seahawks had multiple dry spells – the last three minutes of the first quarter, the last 2:30 of the second quarter and a six-minute chapter in the second half – during which their shots weren’t falling and the Saxons were lighting up the scoreboard.
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Joe Daye hit a three with 4:27 to go in the third to cut Langley’s lead to 40-33. From that point on, the Saxons, keyed by energy from senior forward Brenden Dwyer, assists by junior guard Austin Vasiliadis and smooth inside moves by senior David Adams, went on a 14-0 run. Daye’s jumper ended the South Lakes drought, but at that point, the rest of the game was a formality, as the Saxons were up 54-35 with 6:40 to play.
Langley used its “spread the floor” offense to spread the wealth on offense. Vasiliadis had 16 points, tournament MVP David Adams was smooth inside and out, accounting for 14 points, and Daniel Dixon provided key buckets and finished with 11.
“We don’t rely on one person. The defense has to respect everybody on the floor. I think that’s what makes us great,” Adams said.
Daye, who called the home loss in the district final “crushing,” praised the Saxons.
“It’s like they’re robots. They don’t miss shots, they don’t make too many turnovers. It’s a smart team,” he said.
South Lakes managed just 13 points in the second half after a spirited second quarter, during which the Seahawks scored 17 and the Saxons 21.
“I feel like we just gave up, honestly,” Daye said of his team’s effort in the final 16 minutes. “We wasn’t playing defense, we hung our heads, they just blew us out, that’s it.”
Once Langley established its lead, the team executed slow-down ball to perfection. Unlike many teams which lose focus on scoring when it’s time to run down the clock, the Saxons controlled the ball, wore down the Seahawks and then found creases inside for good shots.
“Everyone is familiar with each other,” Vasiliadis said when asked about the key to the Saxons’ success. “We know when to cut when other people are driving. We know where everyone is on the floor and it helps us get easy looks.”
It also helps when the opponent starts to panic. South Lakes went into a press, but the high intensity on defense also resulted in quick, ill-advised shots on offense, according to Seahawks coach Andrew Duggan.
“Quick shots (are) the downfall of any team,” he said. “We all got a little frustrated out there. We all tried to do something to get us back in the game, and the quick shot is the result of that, and that’s not the best thing for any team.”
Duggan praised Hess -- who has been at the helm of the Saxons program for six years now, earning four district title and two trips to the state tournament -- for building a strong foundation.
“That’s what we’re trying to do here,” he said. “That’s what gets you championships, or at least helps you compete for them.”
As far as the regional tournament goes, the Saxons are looking to get back to the regional final, where they lost to Chantilly in 2010. If they can get past Washington and Lee in the first round of the Northern Region tournament, Langley may find Chantilly, with its huge front line of John Manning (6-10) and Jake Wiegand (6-8), lurking.
“We’re just going to go as deep as we can,” Hess said. “This is fun. Let’s make this fun last as long as we can.”
