RESTON, VA - Behind great defense and a huge 3rd quarter run the Oakton Cougars advanced to the Concorde District Semi-Finals with a 58-45 upset of South Lakes at South Lakes High School.

First year coach Chris Kuhblank used for the most part a 6 man rotation that included 4 sophomores and a freshman. The lone upperclassman was senior point guard Cory Wade. The win by the Cougars not only advances them to Wednesday night's semi-finals it also guarantees them a berth in the Northern Region tournament next week.

The Cougars started off hot led by Freshman sensation Jared Kubin's (pictured right) 8 points, jumping out to a quick 10-6 lead. With the first quarter clock winding down Wade (11 points) knocked down a big three at the buzzer giving Oakton a 15-10 lead after one.

The Seahawks took control in the second quarter by shutting down the Cougar offensive attack and converting turnovers into quick points. Clayton Voss (8 points) and David Lansdowne (11 points) had great quarters for the Seahawks as they went into the locker room with a comfortable 26-21 advantage.

In the first minute of the third the home team jumped out with 4 quick points extending the lead to 9 at 30-21. It was the biggest lead for any team to this point. Favored team, at home, playing a team with 4 underclassmen on the floor, up by 9. Game over right? Not so fast. The Cougars turned up the defensive intensity allowing the Seahawks only 4 points over the last 7 minutes of the third quarter. The great defense got their offense rolling spurning a 21-4 run to end the quarter. The run started simple enough when Sophomore guard Michael Harn picked up a loose ball and layed it in. The next time down the floor Wade knocked down a 3 from the top of the key cutting the lead to 4. Kubin was able to score inside on a good post move cutting the lead down to 2 and the Oakton crowd was starting to feel the changing of the guard. After a defensive rebound Wade pushed the ball up the floor and found Kubin streaking down the lane, Kubin layed it in and was fouled. The free throw capped off a 10-0 run that put Oakton up 31-30. For the rest of the quarter it was pretty much Danny Prentice (pictured #24) time. The Sophomore forward scored 8 points in a row. He started by using a great post move and going up and under the defender for 2. The next time down the floor his defender sloughed off into the lane and Prentice made him pay by hitting a three from the top of the key. The normally inside oriented Prentice was starting to feel it now. On the ensuing possession Prentice launched from 22 feet from in front of his own bench hitting NOTHING BUT THE BOTTOM OF THE NET. The crowd and the Cougars were all believing now. The 21-4 run left the score 42-34 Oakton as the 3rd period buzzer sounded.

The Cougars came out on the conservative side in the 4th. They worked the ball around and milked the clock looking for the shot they wanted. Using the clock was frustrating the athletic Seahawks who started to rack up fouls. On the defensive end the Cougars remained tough. The key defensive effort of the night was turned in by Danny Prentice. Prentice was locked up on South Lakes money man Matt Gustafson. Gustafson was the regular season MVP in the Concorde District and leading scorer in the district. Gustafson had just 9 points on the night and only 4 when Prentice was on him. South Lakes 3 point attempts couldn't find the mark down the stretch forcing them to foul and hope for Oakton to miss some foul shots. Kubin was 9-9 on the night from the line. A majority of which came down the stretch. The first team all-district selection ended the night with 25 huge points. Prentice ended with 16 big points. His fiery leadership and defensive intensity can't be overlooked as key factors to the Cougars success as well.

Now that the Cougars have advanced to the District Semi-Finals and the Northern Region tournament they could just ruin a few more teams' nights. It's a funny thing about young talented players. When they start to believe they're good and they belong, the sky's the limit.