With Heavy Hearts, Daniel Dixon Leads Langley Past South County | News

MCLEAN, Va. (WUSA) -- In honor of Langley head coach Travis Hess, the Saxon players all wore neon shoe laces. The parents in the stands donned neon ribbons in support of the sixth year head coach.

In the Langley community, the game of basketball has been an escape from the scary reality of life itself. Coach Hess' one-year-old daughter Gianna was recently diagnosed with cancer, numbing the school with sorrow.

"Coach Hess has built a fantastic program and we're doing everything the way he's taught us," said interim head coach Scott Newman. "It's so hard for him and his family. Our heads and our hearts are with them."

Given the circumstances, Langley should've fallen to South County Monday night in the opening round of the regional tournament. The excuses were there for the taking. Instead, the Saxons played inspired second half defense on their way to a 60-46 victory.

The Saxons held South County to a mere 14 second half points and went on a critical 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter, inevitably ending the Stallion's season.

"Last Thursday against Fairfax we had a similar type of run go the other way and we ended up losing. Four, five or six possessions can decide a basketball game," Newman said about his team's intensified fourth quarter play. "It comes down to playing every single possession and we did that tonight."

Senior guard Daniel Dixon continued his torrid pace on the offensive end, scoring 21 points including 15 in the first half. That's now five straight games of 20-plus points. Dixon's hang time on his jump shot allows him to pull the trigger from anywhere on the court. Seconds before halftime the lanky 6-foot-4 star hit a 25-footer in traffic, giving the Saxons a pivotal 32-30 halftime lead.

"We really want to win for Coach Hess," stated Dixon about their mentor and coach. "We had a great practice this week and we're ready to keep winning."

South County was expecting Dixon to inflict his usual scoring damage. What the Stallions didn't count on was for Langley senior Joey Robinson to go for 18 points on 8-for-9 free throw shooting. In fact foul shooting kept South County searching for answers much of the night. Langley went 21-for-25 from the line while the Stallions faltered at just 8-for-15.

It's worth noting two Stallion seniors Lance Robinson (12 points) and Marqueice Johnson (12 points) will be missed next season. The Patriot district remained so competitive in part because of the South County's athletic style of play.  

Up next for Langley will be a trip to Edison. The number one seeded Eagles have won six straight contests.

Photo caption: Daniel Dixon poses after scoring 21 points in the opening round of the region tournament. His neon shoelaces are in honor of coach Travis Hess and his ill daughter Gianna.

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