West Potomac dispatches West Springfield for 6th straight win

January 19, 2017 Sports
West Potomac huddle

West Potomac coach David Houston III talks to his team during the fourth quarter of the Wolverines victory over West Springfield.

West Potomac led the entire first half and third quarter Thursday night against West Springfield, often by double digits. But Wolverine coach David Houston III sensed a stillness in the gym early in the fourth quarter, especially after a lackluster third quarter that saw the two teams combine for nine total points.

So Houston told senior forward Da’Jon Bellfield to slap the floor, a move Bellfield has done in the past to get his team fired up on defense. And with booming slaps that got the attention of everyone in the gym, Bellfield indeed fired up the crowd and his teammates, leading to a turnover and alley-oop basket that electrified the home fans:


West Potomac (14-2) would stretch its lead to 19 in the final quarter and never let West Springfield back into the game after Bellfield’s slaps. The Wolverines cruised to a 63-46 win over West Springfield, their sixth victory in a row. They remain unbeaten in Patriot District play and all alone in first place. 

“Today I told him to [slap the floor] because I felt it was kind of dead in the gym,”  Houston said afterwards. “We were up 13 points or so, but it didn’t feel like it.”

Sophomore guard Daryl Mackey Jr. led West Potomac in scoring with 17 points, including a devastating first quarter dunk that left a West Springfield defender on his rear end and helped the Wolverines jump out to an early 13-2 lead. 

The contest was physical throughout, and neither team established much of a tempo on offense thanks to tough defense and nonstop whistles. Bellfield and twin brother Da’Juan, also a forward, were forced to miss a chunk of the second quarter while in foul trouble.  Fellow senior Idrasit Epuk helped pick up the slack, and led the Wolverines with 10 first-quarter points. 

Houston credited his bench with keeping the pressure on West Springfield as fouls forced starters to the bench in the second and third quarters.

“I think we’re pretty deep, especially athletically,” said Houston, who noted the physical play and fouls might be something the Wolverines will need to deal with again come playoff time. “That’s the way it might be in a single-elimination game. I thought the guys that came in off the bench helped us out.”

Senior guard Brandan Lisenby was the biggest boost off the bench, repeatedly finding success driving the lane and drawing fouls from frustrated Spartan defenders. Lisenby was 7-11 from the free throw line, and finished with 11 points. Sophomore center Jonas Munson also contributed quality minutes down low for the Wolverines, finishing with five points. 

As the home stretch of the regular season approaches, Houston said his squad is executing like he wants and playing with great effort. On Tuesday the Wolverines have a rematch with T.C. Williams, a team they beat in December. Houston expects a great atmosphere for the game, and says his players need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. 

“We’re hitting the glass, the kids are having fun, playing exactly how we want to play so far,” Houston said. “We still have a long way to go though.”

Girls get sweep

In the first half of Thursday night’s doubleheader, the West Potomac girls beat West Springfield 53-38. It’s the fourth win in a row for the Wolverine girls, who improve to 10-5, and 6-2 in district play. 

The victory also marked a milestone in the steady improvement of the program: It’s the first time West Po has swept its Patriot District rival since 1996.

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