Mount Vernon keeps pace with Hayfield

Midway through the third period of a lopsided contest, Mount Vernon’s Jesse Konadu already had 22 points. The entire Hayfield squad had just 20. It was that kind of a night for Konadu, who did everything but turn Gatorade into wine and Clif Bars into fishes, as the Majors outclassed the Hawks, 68-52 in Alexandria Monday night.

The Hawks had high hopes entering the game, as they’d played perhaps their best game of the season in beating the Majors on their home court last month. But the two teams have drifted in opposite directions since that affair, with Hayfield dropping five of their last seven to fall to 4-17 (3-10), while Mount Vernon has reeled off six of their last seven to improve to 13-6 (10-3).

“We did remind them of the previous loss, because they came into our place and handed it to us,” said Alfonso Smith, Mount Vernon’s coach, after the game.  “I think it did fire our guys up.”

The Majors looked determined to avenge the earlier loss from the start, holding the Hawks to just seven points in each of the first two quarters. Konadu, Mount Vernon’s standout senior guard who averages 21 points per game, scored early and often from seemingly everywhere but the concession stands.

“Their guards had a hard time dribbling the ball, so we just beat up on them,” Konadu said. “My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball when I was open, and I just finished.”

Mount Vernon broke open the game with a 13-3 run to start the second quarter, which staked them to a 24-10 lead that they would never relinquish. The Majors pressure defense caused numerous turnovers as the lead bulged to 25 by the third period. As Konadu came out of the game in the third quarter with 22 points, after the result was no longer in doubt, Hayfield finally outscored him late in the period, but still trailed his team by 23.

Konadu spent much of the second half collecting his thoughts on the bench, but when he got back into the game for a brief period in the fourth quarter, he showed that rolling up big point totals is far down his list of priorities. He repeatedly dished the ball to teammates rather than racking up an even gaudier point total. For a senior who has received some attention from college recruiters, but still has no firm commitment, his play demonstrated maturity and selflessness.

“That’s the type of leader that he’s become. He has the ability to put up a lot of points, he’s in the top 20 for scoring now in the D.C. area, but he realizes that as we move forward, we need his teammates to be more confident,” Smith said.

The Majors, who also received strong efforts from seniors Juwan Bullard and Dion Harris, are looking like a team to be reckoned with as the playoffs loom. But don’t ask Coach Smith, who grew up as an army brat in North Carolina and also serves as a guidance counselor at the school, to assess this team versus some of his previous squads, three of whom have finished as district champions in the last six years.

“Ask me at the end of the season,” he said. “We like where we stand, we’re just a game behind Edison tonight. If we finish the regular season first or second, we like our chances. But we’ve learned that any team can beat any other team on a given night. We take nothing for granted.”

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