Miracle finish for Parkville
Parkville boys basketball’s Josiah Legree capped an incredible second-half performance Thursday with a miracle 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the host Knights a 67-66 overtime victory over Dulaney (15-5) in the Class 4A North Region I final.
After the game-winning shot, Legree sprinted to the other end of the court while teammates and fans chased the jubilant junior.
“It was better than crazy,” Legree said. “I feel great. We had many players sick and I had to step up and be a leader for my team and be a true point guard.”
The triumph gave the 24-1 Knights their third straight regional crown.
The play began when Legree got the inbounds pass in the backcourt with 14 seconds left, and he casually dribbled 13 times to the right side before glancing down low and pulling the jumper right in front of his team’s bench.
“I was going to give it to Caron [Smith], but I saw the man helping and I took it myself,” he said.
“He just got that off — the buzzer went off when it was in the air,” Dulaney coach Matt Lochte said. “He had three points in the first half and he just took off in the second half.”
Legree scored 24 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and overtime and made five 3-pointers.
“He knew he had to step up, and since mid-December he’s been one of the top point guards in the state of Maryland, so it’s no surprise to us as coaches,” Parkville coach Josh Czerski said. “He can score in bunches.” City 67, Poly 59: Undefeated City put together a dominant first quarter against Poly in Thursday night’s Class 3A North Region I title game, taking an 18-point advantage over its archrival. At that moment few in the Knights’ packed gym could have expected a close second half.
But that was exactly what happened as the resilient Engineers dug in and shockingly turned the big deficit into a four-point advantage early in the third quarter.
City is a senior-laden team that reached the state semifinals last year, and it wasn’t going to let a poor shooting game wreck its plans. The No. 3 Knights regrouped, getting 25 points from All-Metro senior forward Camerin Horton and 17 from senior guard Kyree Smith to fend off the No. 12 Engineers.
City (25-0) advances to Saturday’s Class 3A state quarterfinals, where the eight region champions will be reseeded before the matchups are set. The Knights believe the significant test and pressure that came with Thursday’s victory will help them in state play as they eye their first championship since 2014.
“It was really about us staying poised,” Horton said. “We knew it was going to be a game of highs and lows, so we just wanted to ride the wave out and keep playing, staying with what we do.”
— Glenn Graham Broadneck 49, South River 43:
The odds should have been against Broadneck.
It began this season against the curve, losing games and players. On Thursday, the Bruins traveled to South River for the Class 4A East Region II final, surrounded by a hostile crowd. They were also down a starter in Jalen Carter, who had been a major scorer in big games.
But that’s not what Amare Jefferies, Jordan Brown and the other seniors thought about. They had a dream since middle school: to get Broadneck out of the region and into the state tournament.
On Thursday, the second-seeded Bruins strung together the right defensive package to quell a top-seeded South River team that also longed for a first region playoff crown.
“It’s bigger than us,” Jefferies said. “There’s kids behind us, looking at us like we did.”
After reseeding, the Bruins will travel to No. 4 Gaithersburg in Saturday’s state quarterfinal.
Too often in high school sports people jump when things don’t start off well. But coach John Williams believed that even after the turmoil of the early season there were people in the locker room who could lift Broadneck out of the region, people who had bought in and were willing to be coached.
Broadneck pushed the Seahawks to the outside with a 3-2 zone, forcing them to take 3-pointers and limiting players capable of driving.
“I think we did a good job feeling things out in the first half, making adjustments, then executing in the second half,” Williams said. “I’m extremely pleased with our guys with the level of effort and will and resiliency they showed tonight.
“It was a challenge. Scoring was never easy tonight — never is in the playoffs. Defenses are stingy, and every possession seems to be magnified.”
— Katherine Fominykh Meade 60, Reservoir 51:
The Mustangs overtook the Gators in the Class 4A East Region I final with a 16-6 third quarter.
Shawn Jones had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and went 13-for-16 from the freethrow line, while Xavion Roberson had 22
points and eight assists.
Cam Albury led all scorers with 32 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles lost on the road in Berlin. Jadyass Fifer scored 10 points, while Chase Buttry and Johnnie Hutton contributed six and five, respectively, for Northeast (18-6).
Liberty 73, Century 56: It was net-cutting time yet again at Liberty High School.
Twenty-four hours after the girls basketball team won the Class 2A West Region I final, the boys had their turn. And they did it against archrival Century.
After the teams split the regular-season matchups, the rubber match had bigger stakes. High school careers, bragging rights and a trip to the state quarterfinals were all on the line.
Behind 26 points from Tyler Downs and key fourth-quarter rebounding, the Lions pulled away from the Knights.
With Liberty up just 47-44 entering the fourth quarter, both teams knew every possession counted. The Lions had Downs to rely on for scoring, but it was the tenacious rebounding effort by Camden Hodges and Phil Sackett that helped Liberty pull away.
“I know they don’t always get the glamour because they do all the dirty work,” coach Brian Tombs said. “But their size and energy are so valuable to what we do.”
With rebounds becoming second-chance opportunities, Downs took advantage with two floaters as Century slowly saw its season come to an end. The dagger came when Sackett soared over three Knights for another offensive rebound before hitting a wide-open Derek Goff for a 3-pointer.
“They [Liberty] got some extra possessions at the end and were able to convert,” Century coach George Wunder said. “That killed us.”
Stephen Decatur 72, Northeast 60: — Timothy Dashiell
Wilde Lake 86, Long Reach 76, OT: Wilde Lake coach Jay McMillan has preached the importance of composure throughout the season, telling his players not to get too high or too low.
That composure was needed in Thursday night’s Class 3A East Region II final. In a game defined by runs, the No. 2 seed Wildecats made the biggest move when it mattered most, outscoring top-seeded Long Reach 16-6 in overtime to secure a victory.
The regional title is Wilde Lake’s seventh in program history and the first since 2020. The Wildecats will host a Class 3A state quarterfinal Saturday against an opponent to be determined.
Wilde Lake was seven seconds away from winning in regulation, but Long Reach had other ideas. Out of a timeout, senior Christian Dean buried a deep, game-tying 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining to force overtime.
The Lightning faithful were buzzing, and Long Reach entered the extra period with all the momentum. It didn’t last long.
After defeating the Lightning 75-70 in overtime during the regular season, the Wildecats once again took charge late to get past their county rival.
“I’m very proud of this group, I love the guys,” McMillan said. “We as a coaching staff all love the guys. It’s a joy to come to practice every day and coach, a joy to be around them.
“This regional title is another for one for our school community and everyone that played basketball at Wilde Lake. We had a lot of alumni here tonight, so I’m very pleased that we are able to get this win and get this title for them.”
— Jacob Steinberg
New Town 76, Hereford 33: Cam Sparrow’s impact was felt almost immediately.
The New Town senior wasted little time setting the tempo and giving the gym a show Thursday night. A little over a minute into the game, Sparrow had already put down consecutive fast-break dunks in a 32-second span on his way to a 20-point performance
in the Titans’ convincing victory over Hereford to capture the Class 2A North Region I championship.
The victory punches New Town’s ticket to Saturday’s state quarterfinal round against an opponent to be determined.
“We had a good day of practice yesterday and I think it carried over into today,” New Town coach Derek Wise said. “I think the guys are focused. They understand the task at hand, and of course to get to where we want to go we had to get this game.
“Guys were locked in and it showed today. Defensively, to hold them to 33 points is really great and that’s our staple ... you have to be a great defensive team to win this whole thing.”
Offensively, the top-seeded Titans spread the ball out and shot well from beyond the 3-point line.
Complementing Sparrow’s game-high 20 points were double-digit performances from Arrington Greenfield (11 points) and Jaleel Hawkins (10). In total, 11 players scored for the Titans: Justus Stanton (seven), Darien Fowlkes (seven), Jamal Price (six), David Samuels (six), Amir Allen (three), Jamal Batts (two), Eric Forman (two) and Jaden Brown (two).
— Ben Heck Centennial 58, Manchester Valley 47:
Centennial wanted to make sure history didn’t repeat itself. For 2 ½ quarters, it looked as if it might.
The No. 2 seed Eagles blew open a tight game late in the fourth quarter to record a victory at top-seeded Manchester Valley in the Class 2A East Region l championship Thursday.
John Frazier led Centennial (11-10) with 19 points, while Manchester Valley was paced by Brendan Luddy’s 13.
Centennial’s win erases memories of last season, when the Eagles suffered a blowout loss to Marriotts Ridge in this round of the playoffs.
“It motivated us from the moment we got back to Centennial last year,” Centennial coach Rob Slopek said. “We felt really confident last year and it didn’t work out. We were hoping to do this at home [this year], but this is the end result we wanted.”
— Mike Frainie, For The Baltimore Sun Aberdeen 91, Edgewood 57: At 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aberdeen coach Bill Jones pulled a pair of shoes out of a cabinet and laced them up for the first time. The shoes were a player’s gift after his first season coaching the Eagles in 2020 — a season canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Each panel of the custom low-top Vans sneakers represents a different stop along his coaching career, including Harford Tech and its regional championship, and North Harford. There are memorable quotes like “We’re going to win this,” and a painted ball for eclipsing 100 wins.
On the right heel is a blank space under the words, “Write date below,” reserved for Thursday night’s feat. Aberdeen dominated Edgewood in nearly every facet for a win to claim the Class 3A North Region II championship.
“Everyone was looking at me like, ‘Why are you wearing clown shoes?’ ” Jones said. “They have never been on my feet until today, and they’re going right back in my closet. I just hope it’s not raining outside.”
The weather was clear outside Aberdeen’s gym, but the same could not be said for what took place inside. Aberdeen’s blowout win came largely behind the performances of Tylan Bass, Ty’seaun Rodgers and Darion Parris, who each sank five 3-pointers.
Bass, a senior and four-year starter, jumped on Edgewood early. He racked up 16 of his 25 points in the first half. A culmination of breakaway dunks, 3s and electrifying finishes through traffic earned him the right to rest the net around his neck in the postgame frenzy.