Langley vs. McLean Hoops

Davenport, Langley Prevail
Senior Guard Scores 24, Wins Duel Against McLean's Ammoury
By B.J. Koubaroulis
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, January 26, 2008; E09

Langley senior Ryan Davenport had won several matchups against McLean senior Tarek Ammoury before last night's 60-49 triumph.

A four-year varsity player, Davenport entered last night's game with a 5-2 record against Ammoury's Highlanders.

Davenport, a 6-foot-3 guard, had also taken a few more personal victories in one-on-one pickup games the two have shared in practices with the Nova United, the AAU team they've played for the last three offseasons.

But for Davenport, last night was a "dream matchup." He scored 24 points, besting Ammoury's 22 in front of a capacity crowd at McLean.

"This was a must-win game," Langley Coach Travis Hess said. "Not because it was Langley-Mclean. That was only part of it."

The victory pushed Langley (14-2, 6-2 Virginia AAA Liberty District) into a three-way tie with Madison (13-3, 6-2) and South Lakes (13-3, 6-2) in a hotly contested race for seeding before the start of the district tournament. Langley owns the tiebreakers over both teams.

McLean dropped to 9-7, 4-4 and lost its second straight district game.

Ammoury and Davenport entered last night's game ranked first and second in scoring in the Liberty District, respectively.

"We've dreamed of matchups like this," said Davenport, who is now 62 points shy of breaking Langley's all-time scoring record (1,204 points).

Ammoury became McLean's all-time scoring leader earlier this season.

"In the third [quarter], he carried his team and I tried to carry my team," Ammoury said. "But he did more to help them win."

The two stars traded blows in the third quarter, during which Ammoury scored nine points on a host of spin moves while Davenport poured in 12 to help the Saxons take a 48-40 lead into the fourth quarter.

"Ryan is our go-to guy," said Derek Baker, a junior transfer from O'Connell who scored 10 points and hauled in nine rebounds. "Tonight he really showed that he is the best player in the district."
Langley outscored McLean 12-9 in the fourth quarter and held Ammoury scoreless with a junk defense it hasn't used since last season.

"It's called triangle," Hess said of the defensive scheme.

Langley 60, McLean 49

Hunter and Gatherer: Langley junior guard Barrett Hunter had six points, four rebounds and three assists. He was 4 of 4 from the free throw line, including two free throws that closed out the game at 60-49 with 19 seconds left.

Clean Sweep: Langley senior point guard Katie Hansan scored 13 points to lift the Langley girls to a 43-37 win in the first game of last night's doubleheader.