No. 11 Meade beats Wootton to return to state semis
A different Meade team made it to the Class 4A state semifinals one year ago. From the outside, most of the faces are the same, save for a few graduations.
But inside, these Mustangs are completely new: older, wiser, more mature. They proved it in their last appearance on their home court, dominating the glass, pushing the pace on offense and holding steady despite some foul trouble in a 64-53 win over No. 7 seed Wootton on Saturday.
The No. 2 seed Mustangs will face No. 3 seed Sherwood at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Montgomery Blair High School on the same stage of their downfall this time last year. In that game, No. 11 Meade led by double-digits before crumbling in a loss to Winston Churchill.
The boys who remained shed their tears then spent the next 364 days narrowing their focus on winning the title.
“To get back to that destination, then to come out with a victory, stay together, and mentally prepare for the last one,” said senior Shawn Jones, who netted 17 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday.
“It’s a senior-laden team. It’s a team that’s experienced,” said Glick, who coached his 100th game for Meade on Saturday. “It’s a team that’s learned to play with each other, so I just think that’s why they’d been able to set a goal for themselves: winning a state championship and not getting settled with the early successes. It’s kept them on-task and focused.”
Senior Xavion Roberson added 19 points and eight assists for Meade.
City senior forward Camerin Horton made sure to mention right before the No. 3 Knights took the floor that Saturday afternoon’s home game would be the final one for the program’s seven seniors.
In front of a capacity home crowd, the top-seeded Knights kept that motivation on their minds. Fending off several comeback attempts from No. 8 seed Centennial, the Knights pulled away in the final minute, securing a 66-53 win and a second consecutive Class 3A state semifinal appearance.
The Knights will face No. 5 seed Aberdeen in the state semifinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Montgomery Blair High School.
“Just cherishing this moment, knowing that we will never get this opportunity back,” Horton said of the motivation. “So, we wanted to let this chapter close out on a good note, knowing it’s our last home game. It’s our choice if we’re going to end this story on a good note or bad note.”
It didn’t look good for the Knights (26-0) at the outset as Centennial came out of the gates scorching from deep. Swinging the ball from side to side, the Eagles knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening quarter, including two from senior Tyler Longwell. Sophomore guard Josh Frazier connected on a tough floater, extending the Eagles’ lead to seven late in the frame.
However, the Knights responded with a 16-4 run in the ensuing six minutes to take a 25-20 lead midway through the second quarter. Senior K’won Johnson sparked that run with half of his 16 points. Using their length and athleticism, the Knights forced several
City 66, Centennial 53:
turnovers and pushed the pace in transition. Behind Horton, City also controlled the glass, helping the Knights build a 33-22 halftime lead.
After leading by eight after three quarters, City pushed its lead back to double digits early in the fourth, but Centennial continued to fight back. Adrien Nyom connected on a wing 3, which brought the Eagles within 50-46 with 3:49 remaining. The Knights’ defense once again tightened up, allowing just one field goal the rest of the game — a 3-pointer by Ty Beck-Winter that brought the Eagles back within five.
However, Johnson made a critical defensive stand shortly thereafter. Hounding Frazier near midcourt, the senior stole the ball and coasted up the floor for a transition layup, pushing the lead back to seven. Fellow seniors Horton and Smith also scored inside the final minute, extending the lead back to double digits.
Smith emphatically sealed the win with a transition dunk that erupted the Knights’ faithful, pushing them one step closer to their ultimate goal of capturing a state title.
— Jacob Steinberg
Edmondson 63, Patterson Mill 45: Edmondson’s size and quickness advantage was apparent in the first half of Saturday’s Class 1A state quarterfinal against scrappy Patterson Mill, but only in spurts.
In the third quarter, it was on full display. Leading by four points at the break, the No. 8 Red Storm showed more urgency after being reminded it was win or go home. The home team poured in 25 points in the pivotal third quarter, including 14 of forward Marcus Jackson’s game-high 21, to claim a 63-45 win over the Huskies.
Edmondson improved to 18-7 and advanced to the state semifinals, where it will meet Fort Hill Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High School.
“We talked to the kids and felt they were playing flat with no energy,” Edmondson coach Darnell Dantzler said. “We told them if you lose one game, you’re going home and we had to play with a greater sense of urgency. They really picked it up on the defensive end and Marcus came through with a couple blocks, a couple rebounds. He plays off emotion and scored a couple big points that got him involved and that’s how we were able to increase the lead in that third quarter.”
In the first half, the Huskies (16-7) were able to hang tough with help from junior guard Drew Pape, who scored 11 of his 13 points and handled the Red Storm’s pressure defense. Patterson Mill’s own zone defense proved tough to navigate, too.
Going up against the 6-foot-7 Jackson and 6-10 forward Chase Foster, the Huskies were already at a size disadvantage. So when their top two inside players — forwards Jackson Wheeler and Colin Reynolds — had to sit with fouls in the third quarter, the Red Storm took over. Jackson, who also blocked five shots, had three dunks as the Red Storm outscored the Huskies 25-8 in building a 50-29 lead going into the fourth quarter.
— Glenn Graham
Aberdeen 78, Wilde Lake 72: Towel in hand and joyous relief evident in his smile, Bill Jones looked like he had just played 36 minutes in a road playoff game. He wore the emotional toll of a come-from-behind win confidently.
Fifth-seeded Aberdeen dug itself a deep, deep hole, trailing No. 4 Wilde Lake, 16-2, early in the game.
Little by little, then all at once with a 17-0 third-quarter run, the No. 13 Eagles rallied to defeat the Wildecats, 78-72, and earn a trip to the Class 3A state semifinals on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against City College at Montgomery Blair High School.
“That was very emotional for me,” Jones said. “These kids are working so hard. I’ve never been around a better group. We talked on the way here, we don’t want this season to end. We at least got one more. It’s going to be a very tough next round but at least we get to all show up to practice Monday and hug each other and get ready to go for Tuesday.”
Aberdeen took its first lead of the game with six minutes left. A pair of free throws from Ty’seaun Rodgers cut the deficit to two. Hunter cleaned up a rebound to tie it at 51. A transition layup from Tylan Bass put the visiting fans back on their feet.
Jones’ group outscored their opponents, 24-12, in the third quarter alone, fulfilling his halftime prophecy. He attributed the early struggles partially to nerves.
“They’re 17- and 18-year-old kids thinking they’re the toughest kids in the world,” Jones said. “But once you get in this environment, there’s nothing to prepare you for that. We had talked about keeping it close early and then we’ll let our game play. I think that’s exactly what happened tonight.”
The teams traded blows for much of the fourth quarter, but Aberdeen closed it out with free throws.
Darion Parris led the way with 21 points, including a ferocious fourth-quarter poster jam over his defender.