For a fifth straight season, the South County Stallions had a strong showing in the annual George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament.
The Stallions (5-2) finished third with a 2-1 record, defeating the host Wakefield Warriors, 53-37, in the consolation game of the eight-team, three-day event at Wakefield High School.
South County routed the Osbourn Eagles, 91-25, in the first round, then lost to the Potomac Senior Panthers, 57-54, in the semifinals.
Dating back to the 2019 season, South County has a 12-3 overall record in the holiday tournament, going 3-0 and winning it both in 2019 and 2022. The two times besides 2024 that the Stallions finished with 2-1 records, they lost to the eventual champions (Annandale in 2021 and Oscar Smith in 2023) by close scores in the first round.
The tournament was not held in 2020.
Against Potomac in this year’s semifinals, the Stallions made a strong fourth-quarter rally and had a chance to get the lead, but in the end they weren’t able to overcome a 10-point deficit at the end of three quarters.
In the consolation game against Wakefield, South County led 22-19 at halftime, then pulled away in the second half with a strong inside-scoring game.
Brian Burns led South County in scoring with 17 points to go with three rebounds and two blocked shots against Wakefield. Jared Jackson scored 13 and had seven rebounds and two assists, Johnathan Anderson scored six with two steals, and Michael Robinson scored five with two assists.
South County’s Yusef Washington was chosen to the all-tournament team. The senior guard had two points, two assists and two steals against Wakefield.
NOTES: South County already has played all three Arlington County public-school teams this season. Prior to the George Long tournament, the Stallions defeated the Washington-Liberty Generals, 71-41, in their season opener and later lost to the Yorktown Patriots, 59-45 … South County is a recent two-time Virginia High School League Class 6 boys state champion, in 2018 and 2020.
