"We all worked together, and from there, just flowed into the game"
— Mariah Armah, Langley freshman
Photo by Sara Sastry
Madison junior Audrey Wang (left) faced up against Langley junior Maddie Shamloo (right), the two-time district Defensive Player of the Year.
Photo by Sara Sastry
Senior Sara Becker prepared for a free throw, putting everything on the line for a win that would keep Madison in the playoffs.
Photo by Sara Sastry
Madison regrouped in the second quarter led by their head coach Kirsten Stone (5th from right).
Photo by Sara Sastry
Senior Anya Rahman rests and watches her teammates play during her limited time on the bench.
Photo by Sara Sastry
Langley Head Coach Amanda Baker (sixth from left) leads her team in strategy during a timeout.
Langley faced Madison in the high school girls basketball quarter-finals of the regional tournament. Langley had a rough start in the first quarter with the team down by 8 points, but that did not last long as senior Anya Rahman and freshman Alice Allen led Langley to a quick comeback. The first half held many lead changes, ultimately ending with a score of 25-18 and Langley in front.
Although the first half was full of anticipation, Langley extended their lead to double digits in the third quarter.
Despite Madison’s screen-heavy offense succeeding in confusing and weakening Langley’s defense, their inability to consistently make shots and draw fouls ultimately led to their defeat.
Freshmen Mariah Armah and Alice Allen proved their first-team all district status with two dominant performances, Allen tallying 20 points to lead the team. The combination of Armah and junior Maddie Shamloo was a potent combination on defense, limiting Madison to 44 points.
Armah’s versatility was on full display. Langley head coach Amanda Baker said that she “asked Mariah to do a lot today and guard a bunch of different people,” despite Armah struggling in the game prior.
By the fourth quarter, Langley held onto their double-digit lead despite Madison’s efforts to turn the game around. Full-court pressing for the last eight minutes, Madison was able to get steals from the inbound passes under Langley’s basket, capitalizing on turnovers to keep their tournament hopes alive.
This perseverance is what Madison senior Sara Becker said made her most proud of her team’s performance, as “at the end, [they] kept fighting to the very last second.”
But the game concluded with a score of 61-44, and Langley ended Madison’s season to advance to the semifinals.
Ultimately, the name of the game was chemistry, and both teams greatly utilized this intangible to make it to the regional tournament. Teammates’ strong connections with each other were perfected through hours of practices and games, both teams starting from scratch at the beginning of the season with new faces meeting seasoned players.
With packed stands, Armah was able to feel this chemistry in full effect, as “with the energy of the whole environment, [they] all worked together and from there, just flowed into the game.”
Langley finished their season 23-4, undefeated in their region and first in their district. After their win against Madison, they went on to beat Centreville HS in the regional semifinals and Oakton HS to win a regional championship, a feat they had not accomplished since 2017.
Ultimately, Langley lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament to West Potomac HS with a final score of 48-37, capping off a monumental year for the team. Despite it being senior guard Anya Rahman’s last season, Langley still has talent and potential in its freshmen duo composed of Alice Allen and Mariah Armah, in addition to upcoming senior and defensive weapon Maddie Shamloo.