Leesburg, Va. — On a day when the Loudoun County High School boys basketball team celebrated its seniors, it was the Captains’ juniors and sophomores who battled through one of the toughest teams in the Dulles District to earn their team a huge win late in the season.
Led by junior guards Brendan Boyers and Jimmy Daughtrey as well as junior forward George Mwesigwa, the Captains used a lopsided second quarter to create some separation from which they’d hold on to defeat Broad Run, 63-57, on January 23 in Leesburg.
“We locked down on defense and ran some of our offensive sets really well,” Loudoun County head coach Mark Alexander said. “Broad Run is athletic, strong, capable, well-coached. Slowing them down a little bit was our biggest concern on defense.”
[adrotate banner=”43″]With just under two minutes to play, the Spartans had cut the Captains’ lead to just 54-52, and without senior center Nate Brown—who had fouled out midway through the fourth—Loudoun County was on the ropes. However, the Captains were able to take care of business at the free throw line, converting on 9 of their last 10 free throw attempts, to help fend off the Spartans.
“We just had to really grit it out,” said Loudoun County senior guard Caleb Rexroad, who knocked down three crucial free throws late in the fourth. “We had to play really hard and get through those last few minutes together.”
Boyers—who finished with a team-high 17 points—along with Daughtrey and sophomore guard Jack West were all perfect from the line in the game’s waning minutes.
West—who was playing in just his second varsity game after getting called up from JV on January 20—played a healthy amount of minutes alongside fellow sophomores Joey Fitzpatrick and Braxton Griffin, minutes Alexander expects will pay off down the stretch.
“For tenth graders, I don’t even know if you can measure what it’s going to do for them down the road,” Alexander said. “They don’t bat an eye. Those guys are gamers. They do exactly what we ask of them. They’re just basketball players. We had some opportunities for them, and they’ve answered the calls.”
While the Loudoun County sophomores got some much needed experience, the junior class of Boyers, Daughtrey, and Mwesigwa carried the scoring load for the Captains. Mwesigwa—who is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this winter—turned in his second double double of the season.
“He’s long, he’s athletic, and he’s just a workhorse. I don’t think he ever gets tired,” Alexander said. “George is a gifted player. He has a knack for scoring around the basket. What a coachable kid. He just soaks it in.”
For Broad Run, sophomore forward Matin Perdue finished with a game-high 23 points while adding 6 rebounds, and junior point guard Arnav Thornhill chipped in 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.
Broad Run (2-2, 9-3) will look to bounce back when they travel to Heritage on January 27, while Loudoun County (4-0, 9-2) will look to add to their 9-game winning streak when they travel to Independence on the same night.
As the regular season starts to wind down, both teams continue to be grateful for every moment they get to spend on the court with their teammates.
“Playing for Loudoun County has meant the world to me. I’ve been privileged to play for Coach Alexander and meet a great group of guys who have a great bond,” Rexroad said. “To have that bond with the guys makes every game we play and every practice we have that much more special.”
Caroline Layne captured 40+ photos at the game…
Loudoun County Stats
| Loudoun County | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Brendan Boyers | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| George Mwesigwa | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6-for-6 |
| Jimmy Daughtrey | 9 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Joey Fitzpatrick | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-3 |
| Nate Brown | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0-for-0 |
| Jack West | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2-for-2 |
| Caleb Rexroad | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3-for-5 |
| Braxton Griffin | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Jason Green | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Kiefer Cummings | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Tripp Elmore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 63 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 16-for-20 |
Broad Run Stats
| Broad Run | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Matin Perdue | 23 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Arnav Thornhill | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6-for-7 |
| Sean Thompson | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-for-4 |
| Kyle Love | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Luke Schwartzbeck | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-for-4 |
| Jake Busser | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1-for-2 |
| Kyle Davis | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-2 |
| Tyler Smedley | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Elias Will | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 57 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 13-for-21 |