For anyone who came into the boy’s varsity basketball game at Thomas Jefferson five minutes late, there must have been some confusion. As they looked up at the scoreboard, they would have read: Guests: 15, Home: 0.
Once the observer had overcome their shock and settled down to watch the game, however, they would have realized that this was no mistake; the MLWGS basketball team was wiping the floor with their opponents. Running on all cylinders, the team was playing at the level that they have often alluded to but never quite reached.
In a season that has been pockmarked with shots that rattle out and things that almost were, the TJ game was filled instead with highlight reel plays.
At the center of this green machine juggernaut was guard and Co-captain Paul Eiker (’09). His play set the tone, and just when it seemed he had set the bar too high, he took it to another level.
“I was really feeling it,” said Eiker. “The ball was dropping for me. My teammates found me when I was open and I was able to convert.”
Using a variety of drives and pull-up jumpers, Eiker was poured in a career high 34 points. A feat that ranks second in the MLWGS record books for points scored in a single game.
Eiker dominated the game to such an extent that the announcer for TJ said “Another basket for Paul Eiker… He is unstoppable!”
While Eiker’s display was what drew everyone’s attention, the rest of the team was also playing excellent basketball. Co-captain Parker Kirwan (’10) and Dan Law (’11) each had ten points, and the threat that they posed offensively was crucial to Eiker’s ability to pick apart the TJ defense.
“Paul could drive through their defense at will,” said Kirwan.
For TJ, there was no rest for the weary when they took up offense, as the Dragon’s defense was unrelenting and their press gave the Vikings fits as they tried to move the ball up the court.
“We just anticipated well,” said Kirwan. “We took advantage of their mistakes.”
This victory, the team’s first district win in two years, also presents the Dragons with a chance to make the Colonial District tournament.
“It will be the first time since I have been on varsity that we have made the District tournament,” said Eiker. “I won’t make any promises, but look out for an upset.”
The MLWGS boys varsity basketball team warms up before their game against J.R. Tucker High School on Thursday, January 29. Photo by Molly Dawson (’11).
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