With two consecutive decisive victories, the Washington Generals-Liberty Basketball team establishes itself as a serious contender in the Liberty District.
The Generals ended a three-game losing streak with championship wins over the Langley Saxons, 65-57, and the Wakefield Warriors, 58-44, on back-to-back nights.
Washington-Liberty improved its record to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in the district.
Washington-Liberty coach Bobby Dobson said his young, inexperienced but talented players are starting to get their bearings playing together and gaining confidence.
“We’ve found a good rhythm, we’re scoring and finding out what works,” Dobson said. “We know what’s not working.”
The Generals had lost their first four games this season, and five of their last six before the game against Langley.
“It took a while, but they play well as a team,” Dobson added.
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Washington-Liberty took the advantage in the first half against Langley and Wakefield, and was able to maintain and then increase these advantages as the matches progressed.
The Generals trailed Wakefield, 10-4 in the first quarter. A 16-0 run allowed the Generals to take the lead for good. Two free throws from Gabriel Smith, a junior guard, gave Washington-Liberty a 12-10 lead.
Smith scored six points while going perfect 6 of 6 on free throws.
Junior Carmichael Williams led Washington-Liberty in scoring against Wakefield with 18 points, including 11 in the first quarter.
-Dobson praised Williams for embracing her role in scoring and grabbing rebounds below the basket, noting her impact in the paint.
“He said he wanted to play outside, but I told him he was more valuable inside and could make more of an impact there,” Dobson commented.
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Williams was also the leading scorer in the win over Langley.
In the game against Wakefield, Mitchell Tuvshin scored all of his 12 points on three-pointers in the third quarter. Emmett Engelhardt added eight points, Sean Allen grabbed several offensive rebounds and scored five points, Adam Dodni chipped in with four points, and Jack Cameron and Anthony Haron each added a basket.
Nine players scored for Washington-Liberty, which struggled against Wakefield last season, finishing 0-2 against them.
Jeremiah Poole was one of the best scorers for Wakefield, which saw its record fall to 8-6, 3-2 with this second consecutive defeat.
Weather permitting, the Generals’ next game is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, on the road against the district-leading Yorktown Patriots (12-2, 4-0), with kickoff set for 5:45 p.m.
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