Rollercoaster Season for Oakton Ends in Region Defeat to T.C. Williams

Making it all the way to the Northern Region playoffs was a testament to the resolve of the Oakton basketball program. Unfortunately for the savvy Cougars, having to forfeit seven wins midway through the season caused them to finish fourth in the difficult Concorde District. According to this year’s bracket, their prize was to face T.C. Williams, champions of the Patriot District in the regional playoffs.

In a game lacking offensive output on both sides, T.C. Williams beat Oakton 52-32, ending a topsy-turvy season for the Cougars.

Even though he was disappointed by the end result, Oakton coach Dave Brooks said he was happy to see his players persevere and get through the season to play in the regional rounds.

“We tried our best,” Oakton senior power forward Adi Hajrovic said. “Our goal is always to make a run in the regional tournament and that didn’t get accomplished. Our main goal is to win the district and that didn’t get accomplished. It was a tough year, and we fought it out.”

Hajrovic was a major bright spot for the Cougars. Early in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-6 forward scored 21 of Oakton’s 25 points.

T.C. Williams head coach Julian King lauded Hajrovic’s all-around game.

“He’s a workhorse,” King said. “He’s tireless and used a variety of moves and we tried to focus on him.”

Leading by close to 10 points for most of the game, the Titans finally broke out to the start the fourth quarter. After leading 34-24 heading into the final quarter, T.C. Williams went on an 11-1 run that was sparked by a hook shot by reserve center Jay Whitmire and a Sitton spinning layup. Guard Jamal Pullen scored on another easy layup that was followed by a Whitmire 3-point play to propel the Titans to a quick 45-25 lead with 4:12 remaining in the game.

The Titans’ success primarily came from a dominant defense that forced a litany of Oakton turnovers into easy fast break layups. 

Both teams struggled shooting in the low-scoring affair, and the Titans were hampered by Oakton’s sagging 2-3 zone defense. Neither team converted on a 3-point shot.

After closing the Patriot District tournament on fire and garnering tournament MVP honors, T.C. Williams point guard Tyrell Sitton scored just five points against the Cougars.

“It was just a bad shooting night for him,” King said.

While having an off night offensively, Sitton was on point defending Oakton senior guard Steele Shemeld and limited one of the top 3-point shooters in the Concorde District to just one point.

Small forward T.J. Huggins and Pullen were the beneficiaries of most of the Titans’ slashing layups after Oakton mistakes. The consistent Pullen led the Titans with 12 points and Huggins scored 10.

Oakton started the game aggressively and led 8-4 after Steele Shemeld made a perfect assist while diving out of bounds to find teammate Jonathan Morris for a layup. Hajrovic scored Oakton’s first six points. The Titans responded with the help of center Rick Mathews, who showed off a couple of low post moves by scoring six points in the first quarter to help T.C. Williams take an early 14-10 lead.

The Titans led 24-15 at halftime in large part to scores generated off their manipulating defense by plugging Oakton passing lanes that created turnovers. Guard Jordan Byrd was responsible for numerous Oakton turnovers and scored eight points in the game, mainly on transition.

The Cougars officially ended their season with a record of 4-20.

Hajrovic, who earned Second-Team All-Concorde District, said he has been scouted by a variety of colleges, including Roanoke, Lynchburg, Gettysburg and Gloucester.

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