City tops Lake Clifton for spot in Baltimore City title game
In front of a packed home crowd Tuesday, with the winner earning a berth in next week’s Baltimore City championship game, City boys basketball came out skittish against defending league champion Lake Clifton. The rough spell didn’t last long.
Soon after, the undefeated No. 3 Knights found their stride on offense and matched the No. 5 Lakers’ intensity in rolling to a 64-47 win to claim Baltimore City’s Division B crown.
City, which finishes a perfect 21-0 in the regular season, including a 7-0 division mark, will meet Division A winner and No. 8 Edmondson next Tuesday to decide the league championship. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Morgan State.
After getting their first points nearly three minutes into the game, the Knights scored on five straight possessions to take a 17-8 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. Danny Parsons scored a game-high 24 points and Camerin Horton added 17 as the home team kept a safe distance in a complete team victory.
“We knew it was going to be a real, real gutsy game — they’re a tough opponent and we just wanted to come out and play hard from the start to the finish,” Horton said. “We know if we play hard and do what we got to do and follow the principles of the game, we’ll come out victorious.”
City trailed 4-0 when Parsons hit a 3-pointer with 5:10 to play in the first quarter. It would be the start of a fine shooting performance from him and the Knights.
Later in the quarter, Kyree Smith and Trent Egbiremolen each hit 3s and Parsons added a steal and layup as the home team dominated at both ends.
With the lead down to 20-14 early in the second quarter, another City run was highlighted by back-to-back three-point plays from Horton and Smith to provide a 28-14 lead.
The Lakers, who got a 22-point effort from
Kristopher Mitchell, leaned on their tough defense to try to climb back. But the Knights weren’t having it.
Leading 37-28 with 5:11 to play in the third quarter, the home team — consistently making the extra pass to find open shots — went on an 8-0 run with 3s from Parsons and Horton to push the lead to 45-28.
“City played well,” Lake Clifton coach Herman “Tree” Harried said. “They made shots, they defended and we didn’t have a very good offensive day. Some of our guys that normally make shots didn’t make shots today.”
Last year, Lake Clifton edged City, 57-55, for the division title before defeating Edmondson for the city crown. The Knights were determined to have a different outcome this time.
The win gives City’s fifth-year coach Omarr Smith his first over Lake Clifton. The manner in which it came — a complete effort — made it that much more rewarding.
“We talked about playing hard for 32 minutes. Not 28, not 29, not 30 — it’s got to be for 32 minutes,” he said. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but my guys were up for the task. We talked about how bad we wanted it and they showed how bad they wanted it.”
The City grad noted how special it was for him on a personal level.
“It’s on my bucket list — I can’t lie. Coach Tree is a legend,” he said. “I have so much respect for him and have always looked up to him. So to get my first win [in this series] against him is special.”
Other boys basketball scores:
Patterson Mill 5 4 , Joppatowne 2 6 Long Reach 69, Howard 53 Centennial 4 8 , Mt. Hebron 3 0 River Hill 5 0 , Atholton 4 9
Wilde Lake 5 6 , Oakland Mills 5 4 Glenelg 6 2 , Marriotts Ridge 3 8 Fallston 6 6 , North Harford 5 8 Aberdeen 8 5 , Havre de Grace 7 5
Girls basketball
Atholton has experienced several close losses this season, including a four-point defeat in its first matchup against River Hill. With emotions high on senior night, the Raiders were determined to not let that happen again.
In the clutch, Atholton turned to sophomore guard Julianna Blair, a young player, but not one who lacks experience. Down by one inside the final minute, Blair confidently stepped up from behind the arc, drilling a clutch 3-pointer that put the Raiders back on top.
“Obviously I’m a little bit nervous, but I know that if I hit the shot my whole team will be hype and everything will be going well,” Blair said. “I just take my time, shoot it and stay mentally in it after the shot, even if I make it.”
That put the finishing touches on her teamhigh 13-point performance, as the Raiders earned their seventh straight win, 42-40, avenging that earlier loss to the Hawks.
“That was a great win for us, especially here being on your home court,” Atholton coach Julia Reynold said. “For senior night, you play hard for yourself, you play hard for your teammates. As far as our youth, I think we have shown growth throughout the season in understanding those late-game situations. We lost to River Hill and Oakland Mills by four. Understanding at the end of the game, the time, score and game management it’s big to understand the game plan and stay composed at that point.”
Atholton 42, River Hill 40: — Jacob Steinberg
In the playoffs, the best have to step up. All season long, Gerstell’s Eniyah Stinnette has shown that she is one of the best, and Tuesday night’s playoff opener was no different.
Carroll County’s only girls basketball player averaging a double-double continued her impressive season. Led by Stinnette’s 13-point,
Gerstell 49, John Carroll 39:
14-rebound effort, the Falcons pulled away from John Carroll for a 49-39 win to advance to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference semifinals.
A big game from the junior forward has become the norm for Gerstell this season.
“Eniyah has gotten 19 rebounds in a game twice, she got 50% of our rebounds in our game against Garrison Forest,” coach Shane Stem said. “She’s showing how talented she is every night.”
With Stinnette busy on the boards, the scoring came from freshman Kendall Williams. Her nine first-quarter points led the charge as the Falcons opened the game on a 10-2 run. The Falcons’ fast-paced offense was off and running every time Stinnette pulled down a rebound. Controlling the pace, the Falcons guards ran up and down the floor, ending the half up double-digits.
“I get the rebound and immediately look for an open teammate, maybe someone on the wing,” Stinnette said. “I just try to keep the offense going.”
The Patriots stormed back in the second half. The Falcons came out of the break flat and Vivian Carrico took advantage. Whenever Gerstell failed to get back on defense or communicate, she would hit the open shot or take advantage of the open lane and drive for the easy layup.
With a run of its own, John Carroll cut the lead down to nine. But thanks to key hustle plays from Stinnette and Kiara Hardy, that’s the closest the Patriots got.
Hereford 66, Western Tech 34 Howard 65, Long Reach 21 Oakland Mills 51, Wilde Lake 27 Hammond 60, Reservoir 49 Mt. Hebron 47, Centennial 29 Marriotts Ridge 50, Glenelg 42 St. Mary’s 56, Bryn Mawr 35