Edison Boys Basketball

Edison's Wallace Is Serving Notice in Northern Region
By B.J. Koubaroulis
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, December 18, 2007; E08

Edison boys' basketball coach Kevin Quinlan called senior forward Kendall Wallace a "quintessential gamer." "A beast and a warrior," Quinlan adds.

He could have included one more: "Streak-killer."

The 6-foot-2 forward scored a season-high 27 points in Friday's 79-74 win at T.C. Williams, which marked the first time a Northern Region team has defeated the Titans since the 2005-06 season.

It is fitting that the Eagles (3-2), still riding the high of Friday's upset over then-No. 8 T.C. Williams (2-1), head to Herndon (1-2) tonight -- the site of another one of Wallace's streak-ending performances.

Last January, Wallace scored 22 points as Edison topped Herndon, 63-60, and ended the Hornets' home-court winning streak at 21.

That win also snapped Herndon's undefeated streak against region opponents that had spanned nearly two seasons and more than 30 games.

"Our saying is that we have 26 strong, including the girls [team], and that's the only people that believe in us," Wallace said of the Eagles' underdog mentality. "All the teams say we can't do this and we can't do that. That's how I get Edison hyped for the game."

T.C. Williams came into Friday's game 51-10 since third-year coach Ivan Thomas took over, including 34-0 in the Patriot District.

Friday's upset made Edison 2-1 against T.C. Williams since 2005. The Eagles are the only Northern Region team with a winning record against the Titans during that time.