It’s the final countdown
Meade, Lake Clifton, Edmondson, Parkville boys advance to state final; Hereford girls fall
SILVER SPRING — Meade boys basketball didn’t even think about what happened in last year’s Class 4A state semifinal. A blown double-digit lead, missed shots, tears and heartbreak were all forgettable.
Still, when Sherwood slashed the secondseeded Mustangs’ double-digit lead to just four points with under a minute to go at Montgomery Blair High School on Wednesday, Meade faced a choice: maintain composure and advance to play for a state championship, or wilt and go home.
Shawn Jones made his choice. He raced to a loose rebound, preventing Sherwood a chance to make it a one-possession game.
Not long after, the Mustangs cascaded over each other with dazzling smiles and happy tears, celebrating a 58-51 semifinal win and their first trip to the state final since 2016.
“It felt like the world. There, at that moment, we felt like we arrived,” said Jones, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. “But we know after today, we go back 0-0, prepare for Saturday and bring [home] the [W].”
No. 11 Meade will face No. 5 Parkville, a 70-58 winner of Gaithersburg in the other 4A semifinal, at 8 p.m. Saturday at University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center. In their fourth trip to the final, the Mustangs are seeking their second state title and first since 2015.
For coach Mike Glick, who has experienced six final fours as a public school coach already, his Mustangs have already won half the prize: proving themselves in College Park, win or lose.
“My heart breaks for those seniors who didn’t get to do this last year,” Glick said. “These nine seniors will play their last game at Maryland. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Meade made 13 of 27 free throws, but made three in the final 30 seconds.
Jones’ rebound led to a made free throw. In response, Sherwood rushed, too frantic in its attempt for a 3-pointer and the ball ended up In the hands of Mustangs senior Kyree Scott (19 points). He made two foul shots, and soon after senior Xavion Roberson rushed his teammates and the celebration began.
“Getting that moment was going to shut them down,” Jones said. “They started folding, started rushing 3s.”
“I’m proud of how we stuck together and executed towards the end, knocked down some big-time free throws,” Glick said. “What got us that victory was our defense in the last three minutes, getting key stops and taking time off the clock.”
No. 6 Lake Clifton boys get rematch in 1A
ROCKVILLE — The rematch is on, and an All-Baltimore City state championship game is set for Saturday.
Defending Class 1A state champion Lake Clifton made sure of it Wednesday, as clutch plays in the final five minutes and a 23-point performance from All-Metro forward Quinton Monroe lifted the Lakers to a 65-58 win against CMIT North at Richard Montgomery High School.
Rival Edmondson did its part in the earlier semifinal,coastingtoa67-51winoverFortHill.
No. 6 Lake Clifton and No. 8 Edmondson willsquareoffinarematchoflastyear’schampionship game, which the Lakers won, 60-46, at 1 p.m. at University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center. Lake Clifton will be seeking its eighth state crown — and fourth straight overall.
For the Lakers, getting to the season’s final day took character.
They led by nine points in the third quarter on Wednesday and then 46-40 in the opening minute of the fourth, but the Golden Tigers from Laurel, making their first state semifinal appearance, weren’t fazed.
With Monroe on the bench with foul trouble, they went on an 8-0 run as Devin Thomas started and closed the spurt with 3-pointers to give them a 48-46 lead with 5:14 to play.
The Lakers called timeout, reinserted Monroe in the game, and believed they would make the necessary plays to advance.
“We’ve been through adversity before, situations like that before,” Lake Clifton coach Herman “Tree” Harried said. “That’s the benefit of having the kind of season we’ve had, to get ready for situations like this, and they responded.”
The Lakers got consecutive baskets from Zammari Dorsey (17 points) to take back a 50-48 lead, and then Monroe buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 53-50. A follow from Kristopher Mitchell, who had a dominating performance on the boards, came with 1:52 remaining, and Jazae Jones (19 points) drove the baseline to extend the lead at 57-50 with 1:24 left.
The defending state champions closed out the game by making eight of 10 free throws.
“Stay calm and trust your teammates. I trust Quinton, trust Kristopher — trust my whole team,” said Dorsey.
— Glenn Graham