Western rolls to 65-30 win over New Town

Poly recovers from slow start, beats Milford Mill; City tops Mount Carmel

Western’s No. 4 basketball team wasted no time Saturday asserting itself against a New Town team aiming to pull off a second upset in four days.

The Doves scored 14 unanswered points early in the first quarter and had a doubledigit lead from the fifth minute on as they rolled to a 65-30 win at the 21st annual Baltimore City Public Schools Basketball Academy at Morgan State.

Although the Titans had upset No. 15 Milford Mill on Wednesday, they had no answers for the quicker Doves or 5-foot-11 junior guard Jasmen Walton. An All-Metro second team pick last season, Walton scored 24 points, including 13 in the third quarter, to lead Western (10-2).

“Basically we knew they were going to come out in a 1-3-1, so we ran the flex offense to create space to attack the gaps,” Walton said. “I just had a lot of energy and I wanted to pull out a good win.”

The Doves picked that Titans’ zone apart, starting with the first quarter when Walton hit a follow shot, fed Jadia Jackson for a layup and hit a 3-pointer. That sparked the 14-point run.

After New Town (8-4) hit three free throws to cut the lead to 16-6, the Doves took off on an 11-point spurt, capped by a couple of free throws by Jackson early in the second quarter. Walton’s short jumper gave the Doves a 22-point lead less than three minutes into the second quarter.

Western used its quickness to force turnovers and run a blistering transition game that never let up. After Cache’ Waters hit a 3-pointer and Walton followed with a three-point play late in the third quarter, the Doves were up 53-22.

New Town guard Maraiyah Smith tried to rally her team, leading them with 12 points, including a three-point play late in the second quarter that cut the lead to 18, but the Titans didn’t get any closer.

Walton and Smith were named the Most Valuable Players for their teams.

NO. 13 POLY 48, NO. 15 MILFORD MILL 38: The Engineers used a 21-5 run that included a couple of 3-pointers by Tylea Galloway to run up a 13-point lead early in the third quarter and hold off the Millers.

Milford Mill (10-3) led 13-10 after Mackenzie Pollard fed her sister Makayla for a layup one minute into the second quarter. That ended a 10-2 Millers run and the momentum quickly turned to Poly (9-3).

Senior forward Jewel Porter, who finished with 18 points, gave the Engineers a 14-13 lead with 4:53 left in the quarter. She added six more points to help boost the lead to 22-13 on her follow shot almost two minutes later.

After Jone’ Ayers and Caitlin King scored two points each to cut the lead to 22-17 at the end of the half, Galloway hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter. Her second 3-pointer in two minutes gave the Engineers a 31-18 lead with 5:31 left in the quarter.

The Millers rallied to within 34-30 when Makenzie Pollard fed Ayers for a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the half. Porter answered with two quick buckets in the final 15 seconds of the quarter to push Poly’s lead to 38-30.

Milford Mill pulled within 38-35 on back-to-back baskets from the Pollard sisters with 5:56 to go, but Poly scored seven points, including four from Deierra Weems, who fed Porter for two more.

Porter was named the MVP for the Engineers. Makenzie Pollard, who finished with 11 points and five assists, earned the award for the Millers.

CITY 55, MOUNT CARMEL 41: The Knights broke open a back-and-forth game in the final quarter by outscoring Mount Carmel 15-3 and holding the Cougars without a field goal.

Jasmine Gardner banked in a short jumper to give City a 40-38 lead going into the final quarter of a game that featured four lead changes and five ties in the third quarter.

Raquel Nicholson, who finished with 16 points and her team’s MVP award, hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter for the Knights (12-3). Mya Henson added a layup after a steal and a three-point play to push the lead to 48-38.

Taylor Pope, who led the Cougars with 11 points, was named their MVP. NO. 4 WESTERN 65, NEW TOWN 30 W—Walton 24, Johnson 7, Pickens 7, Jackson 5, Waters 10, Faulkner 1, Hawkins 7, Smith 2, Delaney 2. Totals 21 20-33 65. NT—Lewis 2, Kosh 3, Richardson 1, Smith 12, Webb 3, Petty 9. Totals 8 12-21 30. Half: W, 38-16. NO. 13 POLY 48, NO. 15 MILFORD MILL 38 P—Wilson 7, Townes 2, Porter 18, Weems 11, Galloway 9, Jones 1. Totals 17 12-31 48. MM—Ayers 9, Lane 2, Maka,Pollard 6, C.King 2, Hughes 8, Make.Pollard 11. Totals 14 6-19 38. Half: P, 22-17.