The ref threw the ball up as both teams braced themselves; senior center Ved Desai lost the tip-off for the CHS vs. Mount Vernon varsity boys basketball game on Dec. 6. The game, however, started in favor of CHS with senior point guard Amare Elshoush open for the three, but he took the safer route and scored from the paint.
“Accountability and discipline are the main things I’ve built throughout my three years at Chantilly,” Elshoush said. “I remind myself of that every time I’m on the court.”
The streak continued with junior shooting guard Jordan Davenport averaging 80% made field goals, sinking a corner three, resulting in CHS scoring five points in the first minute.
“My coach has taught me, on numerous occasions, accountability, confidence and the benefits of being consistent and working hard,” Davenport said.
Elshoush drew a foul and made it from the line during the first three minutes of the quarter.
CHS started to intensify their defense and Mount Vernon started to get aggressive, causing them to draw two team fouls within the first quarter. CHS ended the quarter in the lead, 23-19.
CHS started with the ball for the second quarter, and Mount Vernon started to press full court, keeping calm and passing the ball up the court, breaking the press and getting the ball to the offensive side.
In the first quarter, CHS stuck with a man-to-man defense but in this quarter they decided to switch it up and play a 2-3 zone with Davenport and Elshoush on top of the court near the three point line and Desai, senior point guard Ivan So and senior shooting guard Tyler Swindell on the bottom on either sides of the hoop.
The second quarter ended with a technical foul on Mount Vernon which Swindell shot. Making both shots, the score at halftime was 32-28 with CHS in the lead. Varsity head coach Rodney Carmicheal then gathered all his players together in the locker room to talk about how the game was going.
“I felt like we didn’t shoot the ball incredibly well this time, so I wanted them to get more layup opportunities,” Carmichael said. “Also, I thought we were pretty solid, but we could shore up some things with our defensive principles.”
Mount Vernon’s athleticism could be seen in the third quarter with their full court press and ability to shake up CHS, which caused a few turnovers before CHS could get the ball up the court. With 4:45 left in the quarter, CHS called a time out to adjust some of their plays and give the players a break, with CHS up 39-34.
“With Mount Vernon, taking care of the ball was one of the things we focused on because they are a very physical team,” Carmichael said. “I wanted us to be able to play through their contact and not get so rattled, since they did a lot of things that could make players play out of care.”
Mount Vernon got to the rim and with 30 seconds left the score was tied up at 45-45. CHS couldn’t score and the third quarter ended with a tie.
The eight minutes that made up the fourth quarter were not enough for CHS to pull their score up. With Desai drawing his fourth personal foul, Mount Vernon started to heat up, dropping buckets left and right. However, CHS did not lose their hustle and they kept pushing the ball up the court until the last buzzer sounded. A dunk by Mount Vernon towards the end of the quarter sealed the deal for their win and the scoreboard showed 59-52, the away bench going crazy.
The CHS varsity boys basketball team has a record of 9-8 this season and their next game is against the Oakton Cougars at home on Feb. 1.
