Severn downs Gerstell to take title
Young Admirals show poise under pressure
As the top seed after an unbeaten regular season in conference play, Severn boys basketball had all the pressure entering the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference championship game Saturday.
That was magnified given its opponent, Gerstell Academy, a team that snuck into the final postseason slot, hit its first two shots of the night, including a long 3-pointer from Tyson Galloway. That pressure could have easily started to affect the Admirals’ performance.
However, even with a young team featuring just two seniors, Severn delivered a poised effort worthy of the moment, ripping off a 17-3 run to counter the Falcons’ hot start, taking a commanding lead and staving off a feisty comeback effort en route to a 62-46 victory.
The win earned Severn its first MIAA championship since the league’s inception in the 1995-96 season and the school’s first title of any sort since 1993. The Admirals had last been on this stage in 2018 when they lost to the same Gerstell team.
“Just have fun. We were a little tight in the semifinal. Just be ourselves,” Severn coach Mike Glasby said of his pregame message to his players. “Stay home with our defensive principals … make sure we share the basketball, keep it simple. We guard, we play together, good things are going to happen.”
Indeed they did, as Severn opened up a 16-point lead in the first half and, despite some dicey moments, never saw it dip below nine. Four Admirals finished in double digits, with junior Jacob Randall (17 points, six rebounds) leading the way. Sophomore Sean Harvey scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half and also added four assists. Junior Daniel Growney poured in 13 points and senior Kinston Price ended his high school career in style with a double-double of 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
We have a lot of capable guys that can make big plays on the offensive end,” Glasby said. “So our biggest thing is just make the right play, somebody is going to be capable of finishing it.”
For Gerstell, its offense revolved around the hot 3-point shooting of senior Caleb Franze, who made five 3s and led all scorers with 23 points. Junior Colin Toms notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
After Gerstell took the early 5-2 lead, Harvey drained a 3 of his own to immediately remind the crowd why the Admirals were
the top seed and big favorites in this contest. Severn allowed just a single field goal in the final five minutes of the first quarter, putting forth a tenacious defensive effort that led to prime opportunities in transition. Harvey, Price and Randall all notched steals during the stretch to spark the Admirals.
“Our biggest thing was not letting up. Leave no doubt, that’s what coach says every day,” Price said. “We knew they were going to play their hardest, try to speed us up. We dictated their pace and played our game.”
Certainly, the Admirals put the Falcons on their heels throughout the first half. After taking a 19-8 lead into the quarter break, Severn came out and continued its stifling defense. It held Gerstell to two points in the first three minutes, while Harvey hit two 3-pointers for a 25-10 lead. With three minutes to play in the half, Severn opened up a game-high advantage of 16 points at 32-16. The Admirals didn’t make a bucket over the final 3:08 of the half, but their relentless defensive effort held the Falcons to just two points in that stretch.
“The biggest thing is defense,” Price said. “If we’re not hitting shots, just play good defense, and eventually we’ll make a few.”
Gerstell needed something to break right for them to get back in the game, and it got it courtesy of an unconscious third-quarter shooting effort from Franze.
The senior guard hit four shots from beyond the arc as Gerstell made its charge. However, Severn routinely found its way into the paint with open looks and didn’t let Gerstell get closer than nine points.
After a technical foul and two free throws by Franze brought the score to 47-38, it was again the defense and transition offense that sparked Severn. This time, freshman Corey Dixon corralled a huge board on the defensive end and went coast to coast for his first two points of the game, restoring a double-digit advantage. Dixon scored just four points on the day but was a huge contributor on the defensive end with six rebounds and three steals.
“One thing I always tell my guys, runs are going to happen. Just stay locked in, none of that noise matters,” Price said. “We’re going to play our defense, lock them up and get this game back.”
That they did, as Franze’s hot hand cooled off, and the Admirals returned to their stifling defensive ways.
“Keep our defensive principles. Franze is a great player, we know what he does,” Glasby said of the message between the third and fourth quarters. “Stay home to what we do, don’t get worried if he makes a shot or two. We were able to stay connected and get stops.”
That proved enough as Gerstell didn’t make a single 3-pointer in the final quarter, scoring just eight points in total. Meanwhile, Severn picked up contributions up and down the roster, including a big-time block from senior center Bo Fowler late in the fourth quarter. Gerstell got as close as 56-46 before the Admirals wrapped up the title with a 6-0 run over the final 1:41 to close things out.
Gerstell returns only two players who recorded stats Saturday — Toms and junior Ben Martin. They graduate eight players, including Franze, the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Severn hadn’t even posted a double-digit conference win season since that run to the final in 2017-18.
The Admirals aren’t likely to need much of a rebuild, as they’ll return all but two players from their roster. Price and Fowler graduate, but Severn returns everyone else, including five players who recorded stats in Saturday’s title game.
Severn —19 13 17 13 — 62
Gerstell —810208—46