Churchill slips by Quince Orchard, remains unbeaten
GAITHERSBURG – The Winston Churchill High School boys basketball team continues to blow past its competition this season, winning 13 straight games.
The Bulldogs put its undefeated streak on the line against Quince Orchard Wednesday night. In a competitive matchup, Churchill escaped with a 54-41 victory to improve to 14-0.
Churchill earned the win two days after guard Tre Stott was involved in a fight against Blake Monday, resulting in a three-game suspension.
“We’ve said a lot that the team is more than just one player,” Bulldogs head coach Dave Blumenthal said. “While Tre is a very integral part of what we do, we know that it’s about the team.”
The Bulldogs got off to a strong start as they knocked down baskets and played solid defense. Zeke Avitt threw down a vicious dunk late in the first quarter to assert the away team’s dominance.
Churchill vs Quince Orchard Photo Gallery by Mike Clark
Gaithersburg – Churchill forward Zeke Avitt dunks this shot for 2 of his 9 points to help the Bulldogs remain undefeated after beating Quince Orchard. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – In a football-like move, Churchill’s Andrew Silver intercepts this pass as Quince Orchard’s Bobby Faraone can only watch. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Quince Orchard senior Avi Levine finish this drive with a layup in the second half against undefeated Churchill. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Quince Orchard and undefeated Churchill went toe-to-toe until the last few minutes of the game when Churchill pulled away for the 54-41 win. . (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Drew Heinrichs of Quince Orchard used quickness in the lane and deep threat shooting for 17 points against Churchill. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – The battle between the undefeated Churchill Bulldogs and the home team Quince Orchard Cougars produced a hard fought win for the Bulldogs. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Bryce Wilson of Churchill battles Quince Orchard’s Avi Levine for the rebound. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Drew Heinrichs drains this three pointer over the Churchill defense for 3 of his 17 points. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Game high scorer Isaiah Mbeng alludes Quince Orchard defenders for two of his 20 points on February 2nd. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Quince Orchard’s Jalen Huskey scores two difficult points in their home game against undefeated Churchill. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse) 
Gaithersburg – Quince Orchard’s Jalen Huskey blocks the shot attempt by Churchill’s Zeke Avitt but fouls him in the process. (Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse)
Entering the second quarter down by six points, Quince Orchard (9-3) began to fight back, going on a 7-0 run to give the Cougars a quick lead.
Churchill remained on top despite a competitive second quarter, entering halftime with a 5-point lead. Andrew Silver and Isaiah Mbeng proved to be the top scorers for the Bulldogs in the first half with 10 and nine points, respectively.
Both teams were very neck-and-neck throughout the third quarter, but Churchill soon began to pull away in the fourth. Quince Orchard head coach Paul Foringer said his team committed “too many mental mistakes” down the stretch, adding that many parts of the game plan that players practiced were not on display against the Bulldogs.
While Drew Heinrichs and Nick Goldberg scored with 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Cougars, only two other players added any offense for the home team.
“They had decent offensive games,” Foringer said. “But there’s so much more we could be doing offensively. You can’t just keep two guys doing all your offense. People have to be involved.”
Without their star point guard, Mbeng provided the offensive spark for the Bulldogs, adding 11 more points in the second half to finish with a team-high 20 points. Silver was not too far behind as he finished with 14 total points.
“We’re just trying to stack up on our wins,” said Mbeng. “Next, we keep playing our basketball and make a run to states.”
“It felt really good to get a win,” said Silver. “We controlled throughout, and we keep stacking up these wins, finish undefeated, who knows what can happen in a couple of months.”
Photo by Mike Clark/The Sports Pulse
