Atoms Get a Major Monkey off Their Back

After seeing his team’s season end at the hands of Mount Vernon each of the last two seasons, Annandale coach Anthony Harper thought things were stuck on repeat when the Majors started their rematch in the regional quarterfinals on a 10-1 run. Then, a couple of new faces knocked down some shots, and the seniors that remember all too well the end to their sophomore and junior years followed suit.

Monte McCarthy connected on his first three attempts from long range, and D’Angelo Boyce, Karl Ziegler and Melvin Robinson combined for 43 points and 15 rebounds in what turned out to be an easy 70-51 win for the Atoms.

“We came in on edge a little bit,” Harper said. “Once we got settled down, we were alright.”

Ziegler, McCarthy and Sanar Shamdeen hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut the score to 14-10 after the Majors' initial spurt. McCarthy’s third triple gave the Atoms their first lead of the night at 20-17 early in the second quarter and was part of a 10-0 run that extended the lead to seven points, and Annandale never looked back.

Boyce’s confidence was on display when he eschewed a chance to play for the final shot of the first half and hit another 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Mount Vernon was unable to respond, and the Atoms took a 37-23 lead into halftime.

Boyce, who finished with 20 points, came out even hotter in the second half, scoring eight points in less than a minute at one point in the third quarter, and the Atoms were able to start working the ball inside the paint. Robinson, who had been hesitant to shoot in the first half and often turned the ball over with an extra pass, started to find his rhythm inside, and even the slightly built McCarthy, who had gone cold from outside, showed off some nifty moves in getting to the rim twice.

The Majors seemed to have conceded defeat by the time the fourth quarter started and they trailed by 17.

“We didn’t meet that physical play in the paint,” Majors coach Alfonso Smith said. “We’re a guard-oriented team. Our guards go to the basket at times, we knocked down some outside shots, but we didn’t compete well with them on the inside as the game wore on.”

National District Player of the Year Jesse Konadu led the Majors with 23 points and Dion Harris added 17, but Mount Vernon received little secondary scoring. Juwan Bullard contributed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Annandale finally finds itself in the semifinals after getting over the hump that has been in the form of Mount Vernon for all too long.

“Our seniors have been here. Those are the guys that have been here the last two years and have sat in the locker room the last two years as their season ended, and they watched the seniors cry because they knew it was over,” Harper said. “They said they were ready to play, and they wouldn’t have it any other way than to play Mount Vernon.”

While a player of Konadu’s caliber may deserve a chance to compete deeper in the playoffs, Smith has no doubts about the senior’s impact on the program.

“He’ll feel it tonight, he’ll feel it for the next couple days, but the reality is that he’s left a legacy here,” Smith said of Konadu. “He’s shown that he’s a winner. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

The Atoms now prepare for a Langley team that has won four straight Liberty District titles and has played in two of the last three regional finals, and is coming off a down-to-the-wire win over Lake Braddock in one of the other quarterfinal games. The teams will meet on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Robinson.