The boys basketball team bounced back from a tough loss to Sherwood by demolishing Gaithersburg, 66-33, away Dec. 12.

The win improved the Bulldogs record to 2-1. Despite doubling the Trojans score, CHS was down for most of the first half but managed to tie the score at 30 at the half.

“We warmed up flat, we weren’t focused, and we did not play our hardest in the first half,” sophomore Matt Moshyedi said. “At halftime we knew what we were doing wrong, and we realized we needed to pick it up.”

CHS did exactly that as they outscored the Trojans 36-3 in the second half. Moshyedi scored six points in the second half and had many steals. Seniors Sam Edens and Quan Gill lead the team offensively, finishing with 18 and 14 points.

“Everyone played great defense in the second half,” Moshyedi said. “We didn’t want to let Gaithersburg get to 40 points so we worked our hardest to get stops.”

The previous game CHS lost an overtime heartbreaker in its season opener to Sherwood 59-56 Dec. 9. The game was tied at halftime and neither team led by more than six points.

“After the loss we learned that we need to move the ball around and play as team to win,” senior captain Christian Bonaparte said.

The difference in the game was free throws when it came down to the stretch. The Warriors went a perfect 12 for 12 at the line in overtime.

“It was a rough loss, but we have to move on,” Bonaparte said. “We have to be mentally tough and play with more determination in the future.”

The boys basketball team started off the season strong when they punished Damascus 70-49 in its season opener Dec. 6. The Bulldogs blew the game open from the start when they outscored the Hornets 21-5 in the first quarter. As a result of the Bulldogs’ press and smothering defense, they did not allow the Hornets to make a field goal until the four-minute mark in the second quarter.

“All our players were mentally prepared for the first game,” head coach Matt Miller said. “Our team is very senior oriented so those players made sure the team was ready.”

Despite the big victory, CHS did not play sound basketball the entire game, as they started turning the ball over and letting up easy baskets.

“We played very smart in the beginning of the game, but we slowed down after the first quarter,” Miller said. “We started playing sloppy basketball so we are going to have to watch film to help fix this.”

In the game, senior Kyle Edwards lead the team in scoring with 14 points. Senior captain Thomas Geenen had a big game too, as he came close to a triple double with eight points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks. Bonaparte added 10 points, five assists and two steals in the victory.

“It’s good we have many guys who can score the ball well,” Miller said. “We have a very deep team this year with some young talent that has a great opportunity to learn.”

In the game, everyone on the team played, including first year varsity sophomores Moshyedi, Malik Harris and Allen Njumbe. Each scored in their debut, proving the teams depth and young talent.

Last season the Bulldogs went 18-6, made it to the third round of the playoffs and won the Montgomery County 4A West Division. Last year was the first year since 1979 that the Bulldogs won their division.

“With so much of our team returning, I think we can accomplish more than we did last year,” senior Louis Rothstein said.

The Bulldogs only lost three seniors (Will Lewis, Jordan Bass and Jesse Simon) from last year and will have seven seniors returning to the team this season. Five of these seniors have been on the varsity team since their sophomore year.

“I think we should benefit from returning all but a few players,” Bonaparte said. “Hopefully experience will help us win games.”