One last hurrah
Chesapeake boys gets best of Potomac in senior all-star clash
In front of a packed crowd Friday night at Chopticon High School, boys basketball stars from the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference put on one final show in the senior all-star game.
With a balanced attack of superb shooting and inside play, the Chesapeake Division led from start to finish and delivered a 9068 victory against the Potomac Division.
Chesapeake, which featured players from St. Mary’s and Calvert counties, used its depth and athleticism to take control with a 27-15 first quarter lead before stretching things to 45-30 at halftime.
Chesapeake poured it on in the third, extending the lead to 68-44 to all but put the game away against Potomac, which featured players from Charles County schools.
Chesapeake, which had 10 different players get in the scoring act and nailed nine three-pointers, had three players in double figures as Great Mills guard Dee Barnes led all scorers with 22 points. Chopticon forward Nick Snyder, a University of Davidson commit for football, finished with 16 points, delivering with several dunks in the game. Huntingtown guard Mike Morrison added 10 points in the win.
“It is a big honor to play in a game like this and be recognized as one of the top players in the conference,” said Barnes, who was recently named SMAC’s Most Outstanding Player. He averaged 21 points per game for the Hornets on the season. “I just enjoy the moment and the game. Tonight was an all-star game and people come to see dunks and highlights and I made sure that I brought some moves out of my bag and put on a show.”
The 6-foot-4 Barnes — who led Great Mills to the Chesapeake Division title, the program’s first SMAC championship in 11 years and a trip to the 3A South Region championship game — wowed the crowd with rim rocking dunks and showed off his versatility from the perimeter.
Great Mills head coach Jeff Burrell, who coached the Chesapeake Division was ecstatic to get the win.
“It feels good to get a win on this end of the county,” Burrell said. “I’m proud of my boys for representing well. It was a family for Chesapeake and we had a good practice during the week and everyone had fun and worked hard.”
Burrell and the Hornets finished 19-4 on the season, a perfect 12-0 in the Chesapeake Division, but came up just short to twotime 3A state champion Poly of Baltimore in the region final.
“Our season is one of those magical runs that happens every now and again,” Burrell said. “We had a good combination of good players, good coaches and some luck on the way. We had a good foundation and preparation. Just to see the kids growth and to be a part of that as a coach is special to me.”
Friday’s game featured typical all-star flair with dunks and some razzle dazzle to go along with deft outside shooting from both teams.
Potomac was led by Westlake’s Jaimon Cheek with 20 points, while big man Kyle Jackson of Thomas Stone added 11.
“Both teams were very athletic and deep,” said Potomac head coach Brett Campbell, the frontman at St. Charles. “They did a good job getting out in transition and finishing at the rim with a few highlight dunks. It was an honor to get together and see how good our conference really is. Some of the things I saw today surprised me with these kids being able to get up and dunk the ball like they did. It was an enjoyable experience.”