Basketball: Matt Ayoub scores 27 points to lead W.T. Woodson over Lake Braddock
Matt Ayoub spent much of the first quarter of Tuesday's game against Lake Braddock with a puzzled look on his face.
It wasn't necessarily the Bruins' zone defense that flustered the W.T. Woodson junior; he has grown accustomed to the variety of looks that opponents have thrown his way this season. But as one of the area's top shooters, Ayoub was both surprised and satisfied by the open space he found early and often behind the arc.
By night’s end, Ayoub had tied a season high with seven three-pointers and opened the floor for his other teammates to flourish during a 74-56 home win against the Bruins in Fairfax.
“I didn’t understand why they were leaving me open,” a smiling Ayoub said after his 27-point night. “If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it and tonight was one of those nights. I felt good out there.”
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Ayoub’s hot hand took little time to surface, as he drained three three-pointers in the opening four minutes. After the third, which he launched well beyond the line, the junior guard shook his head as he turned downcourt.
The result proved just as perplexing for the Bruins, who tried several defensive schemes to slow Ayoub and the Cavaliers (11-5, 5-1 Conference 7), but all to no avail, as Woodson’s offense exploded for a 29-16 first-quarter lead.
Lake Braddock (11-4, 4-2) was able to trim Woodson's lead to as little as five in the second quarter behind the inside-outside play of Reagan Jones (17 points). But the third quarter brought a refreshed Ayoub, who scored 13 points, including three more three-pointers, during a 19-3 Cavaliers run that extended the lead to 23.
"Matt has this uncanny way of getting open, no matter what teams try to do," teammate Tyler Wilson said. "When he's shooting like that, it opens up so many things for everyone else."
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Wilson served as the largest beneficiary of Ayoub's sharpshooting. Off dishes from Eric Bowles (10 points) or strong moves into the teeth of the defense, Wilson found a number of close looks in the paint en route to a 17-point performance.
The senior forward's impact also translated on the defensive end, where Woodson used a full-court press to keep the game at their preferred up-tempo pace. As Lake Braddock tried to work its way out of the Cavaliers' traps with passing and movement, it prevented standout forward James Butler from positioning himself in the post. The junior still made his mark with 24 points, but it was far from enough to dig out of the early hole created by Ayoub's shooting.
“We wanted to put ball pressure on their guards to make them try to handle it,” Ayoub said. “When we’re playing like we were tonight on both ends, we believe that the only team that can beat us is ourselves.”
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