Not in my house
Old Mill dispatches Chesapeake on senior night, 66-49
The senior night fanfare was certainly on the minds of the Old Mill girls basketball team. Players happily pointed at their glittery posters decorating the gym, debating who looked good and reassuring those who thought they didn’t.
But what was actually on their minds was their crowded spot in the standings. Old Mill could not afford a loss to Chesapeake on Friday — not if it wanted to edge South River and Severna Park for
the county championship bid.
“It’s our destiny,” coach Henry Fuller said. “We can’t afford to lose.”
The Patriots shed their senior night nerves to rise up through the second quarter to the end, topping the Cougars 66-49 in Millersville. One of those seniors, Amaya Douglas, teemed with determination.
When Old Mill needed a spark in the first half, it was Douglas (21 points) who hit baskets alongside sophomore Jemirah Brown (11 points). When the Patriots needed to withstand a Chesapeake rally in the third quarter, Douglas made every foul shot she was given and popped in another five points for good measure.
“I was a little rough throughout the game, so I tried to make it my goal to finish out strong in the end,” Douglas said.
To start, Chesapeake offered a gift to Old Mill senior M’Kenya Rogers, who was celebrating her senior night despite not being able to play a game this season.
The Cougars intentionally surrendered the jump ball so that Rogers could hit the first layup. In return, the Patriots allowed Chesapeake its own layup.
But the serene genial nature of the start gave way to a bit of a subdued start for both teams, unhelpfully littered with travel calls and turnovers.
The jitters seeped into them; they were overperforming, Fuller said. But they had to shake it off.
“I think we all know how much
is at stake right now,” Douglas said. “We’re coming together, playing as a team. We’re locked in.”
The Cougars were smothered by Old Mill well into the second quarter. By the time coach Maria Gray pulled them into a huddle, the Patriots — Brown especially — had become quite comfortable plucking Chesapeake turnovers and turning them into perimeter baskets.
Three-point shooting had been a detriment to the Patriots’ offense in the past, and they recognized it. Before every practice, the
Patriots gives themselves only five minutes to make as many jump-shots from the perimeter as they can.
Chesapeake failed to generate energy by halftime. Just when senior Ella Shannon lit kindling for it with the first basket in four minutes, foul trouble sent her off the floor. Douglas cemented control for the Patriots at the break as they enjoyed a 25-13 advantage. Something within the Cougars had the change.
Cougars like Kasey Slade (19 points, 22 rebounds), Shannon and Natalie Forman rushed from the gates to put away eight points in a minute, nibbling
Old Mill’s margin down to single digits again.
But Chesapeake’s energy was only partially-charged. Old Mill, meanwhile, had the equivalent of a power plant. Nothing was stopping the Patriots now.
“We started identifying where they were scoring,” Fuller said, “and tried to make sure we got aggressively there. Hands up, boxing out. We can still improve on that.”
Brown drained a shot from deep and so did Douglas. Forman laid up in response, but its effects were neutralized by a combination of Neveah Brown and Douglas for a 46-31 lead.
Though the Cougars didn’t fall quite as stagnant as they had earlier, Old Mill never made the mistake of letting them back in again. Towards the top of the fourth, NyAsia Futrell batted down Chesapeake’s shot on one side and flipped it to the other end for a 3-pointer. Seconds later, senior Amani Watts (13 points) picked up a steal and another foul shot before putting a three-point-play solidifying a 20-point lead.
The result was not without small wins for Chesapeake. With her 22 boards, Slade tied the school record for most single-game rebounds (currently shared by Morgan Gray).