The host Wakefield Warriors start play in the annual three-day, eight-team George Long Holiday Hoops Tournament today playing well with a 6-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the Liberty District.
The Warriors face the Falls Church Jaguars in a 6:15 p.m. opening-round contest tonight on their Wakefield High School home basketball court. The team also begins play with a three-game winning streak, having defeated the host Westfield Bulldogs, 73-66, in overtime, the South County Stallions, 69-46, and the visiting McLean Highlanders, 66-54, in its first district contest this winter.
The team’s loss was to the Alexandria City, 48-43.
“We are playing well and the guys are believing in what we do, and they are focused and prepared for the games,” Wakefield coach Tony Bentley said. “A lot of guys are contributing, because we have played a lot of players in each game.”
Wakefield has been led by senior forward Carlton Young. He is averaging 24 points per game, with a high of 33 against South County.
Senior forwards Miles Hancock and Matt Lis, senior guard B.J. Willis, sophomore guard Jeremiah Poole, junior guards Shane Morrison and Myles Jackson and junior forward Gabe Henneman have been other big contributors for Wakefield. Poole and Willis made some big three-pointers in the win over McLean.
The other first-round games today (Dec. 27) of the George Long tourney have the Washington-Liberty Generals playing Battlefield at 1 p.m., Colgan facing Colonial Forge at 2:45 p.m. and defending champion South County taking on Oscar Smith at 4:30 p.m. South County also won the 2019 title.
The tournament continues Dec. 28 and 29 with the starting times the same each day. Wakefield last won its tournament in 2015.
After the tournament, Wakefield plays both of its Arlington public-school rivals the following week in district games, hosting the Yorktown Patriots on Jan. 2 and visiting Washington-Liberty on Jan. 5 in 7:30 p.m. contests.
