MPSSAA boys basketball playoffs: Defending champ Edmondson-Westside ends Leopards' run
The MPSSAA boys basketball playoffs continued Tuesday with state semifinal games, with one Washington County team in the title hunt. Here’s what happened:
Class 1A semifinals
Edmondson-Westside 75, Smithsburg 59
Playing at Thomas Johnson High in Frederick, the Leopards (22-5) made the defending champion Red Storm (25-2) earn another trip to the state finals, leading most of the first half and trailing by only four points with six minutes left.
Edmondson-Westside pulled away down the stretch, with 6-foot-10 center Chase Foster scoring 10 of his 16 points in the final period — capped with a punctuation-mark dunk.
Smithsburg opened the game with a 17-7 run featuring five 3-pointers, four of them by Ja'Von Tyler, who led the Leopards with 21 points.
The Leopards were in control until the Red Storm blitzed to the lead with a 17-4 run. Point guard Darnell Dantzler scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the first half for Edmondson-Westside. His steal and layup gave the Red Storm its first lead at 30-29 with 2:25 left in the half, and his sweet step-back 3 made it 37-31 on the way to a 41-31 halftime cushion.
Smithsburg opened the second half with a 9-0 run to get within 41-40, as Jacob Tyler — held scoreless in the first half — caught fire and scored seven of his 10 second-half points in the run. The Leopards' defense held the Red Storm to six points in the third quarter, which ended with Edmondson-Westside leading 47-42.
"We came out, I thought, in the third quarter and started really well," said Smithsburg coach Eric Gerber. "Except for those runs when they got the runouts off of long rebounds and turnovers, I was really pleased with our halfcourt defense most of the game."
Tyler Ward — scoreless through the first three quarters — hit a 3-pointer with just over six minutes left that cut Edmondson-Westside's lead to 51-47. Ward scored eight points in the final period, but the Red Storm outscored the Leopards 24-12 over the final six minutes. Dantzler's 3-pointer with 5:10 left made it 56-47, and when another Ward 3-point attempt spun around the inside of the rim twice and came back out, it felt like it wasn't to be Smithsburg's day.
"We did a great job, but we had some live-ball turnovers which are tough against a good team like that," Gerber said. "The fourth quarter unfortunately got away from us in the end."
Josiah Brown capped his 13-point performance with his third tomahawk slam of the game, Kyrie Sherrod finished with 12 points and Robert Price added eight points as the Red Storm starters accounted for all but two of the team's points.
Trinity Wright scored 10 points for Smithsburg, which will only lose guard Max Bono to graduation among its top seven players.
"Everybody knows we had some guys come back from (St. Maria) Goretti, from our district, and it was great to see them come back," Gerber said. "We were playing a whole different style than we'd been playing the last two years because when you're a high school coach, you adjust your style to your players. We knew we had some guys who could play a little bit, and they jelled together pretty well. We lost one game to another 1A team all year, and it's to the defending state champion. You can't feel too bad about that."
March 8
Class 1A quarterfinals
Smithsburg 96, Loch Raven 82
The Leopards will play in the state semifinals for the first time since 2012.
In a high-octane, helter-skelter contest against the No. 6-seed Raiders (19-6), the host and No. 3-seed Leopards (22-4) aggressively attacked the basket. The results — layups, foul shots and Loch Raven foul trouble — were decisive as Smithsburg pulled away in the second half.
"The way they play, they take us out of some of our halfcourt sets we like to run because they really force you to take the ball to the basket because they overplay everything," said Smithsburg coach Eric Gerber. "We're a team that shot a lot of 3s all year. They take away the 3. They don't let you shoot 3s. We forced some early. Once we recognized that we could go to the basket, that really settled the game."
Smithsburg will face No. 2-seed Edmondson-Westside (24-2), an 88-49 winner over No. 7-seed Perryville, at Thomas Johnson on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Leopards will make their fourth-ever semifinal appearance. Smithsburg's only state final appearance came in 1988. The Leopards have never won a state title.
Point guard Ja'Von Tyler scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. He drove strong to the basket for a score that gave the Leopards a 68-59 lead with 5:46 left. He drilled a 3-pointer for a 76-69 lead with 3:15 to play, sparking a 9-1 run he capped with a three-point play in transition that made it 82-70 with 2:25 left.
"My teammates believed in me. I just went out there and played basketball," Tyler said. "My shot wasn't really falling. My teammates told me to keep driving, keep penetrating. … Just playing with a lot of passion. I've been playing this game since I was young and this is a blessing to be here, state quarterfinals."
"We depended on him all year and he came through in the fourth quarter," Gerber said.
Smithsburg led 40-36 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Leopards led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but Kaden Lewis got hot for Loch Raven — he scored the final five points of the third quarter and netted all 15 of his points in the game in the second half — and the Raiders were within five at 60-55 entering the final period.
Loch Raven cut the lead to four twice midway through the fourth quarter, but Smithsburg had the answers, including Trinity Wright's pretty, gliding reverse layup that made it 73-66 with 3:36 left. Wright was a steadying presence for the Leopards, scoring 22 points while taking advantage of his height and length.
"My shot wasn't falling at first. It wasn't falling at all, I ain't gonna lie," Wright said. "I was working, getting my rebounds, going back up, trying to play strong. … I'm not supposed to, but I was listening to the crowd, listening to my stepdad. He was telling me, 'You're big, go to the hole. They're not going to stop you, they're going to keep fouling you.' I kept doing that and I kept getting to the line."
"We talk to him about (using a) pump fake and going to the basket," Gerber said. "He has great body control, he's strong, he can get to the rim and get fouled. That's something we preach to him all the time and he did a great job of that."
Jacob Tyler scored 17 points, Tyler Ward netted 13 points and Neff Rios added nine points for Smithsburg, which made 22 free throws in the second half.
"Especially in the second half and in the fourth quarter, we made some really good decisions being patient, then attacking the basket," Gerber said. "It was a fun game. I've had numerous people tell me how fun it was to watch, a 90-something to 80-something game. That's probably something we will not do on Tuesday, especially if we're playing Edmondson, which is one of the best teams in the state."
March 5
1A West Region II
Smithsburg 76, South Carroll 70
In one of the all-time great playoff comebacks, the No. 1-seeded Leopards erased a 25-point deficit to stun the No. 3 Cavaliers for their third straight region title.
Jacob Tyler scored 18 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the charge for Smithsburg (21-4), which trailed 47-22 with a minute left in the second quarter.
“We just wanted to come into the second half bringing the energy and get some defensive stops, because everything starts on defense,” Tyler said. “I knew our offense would get going.
“I had to attack more, put up good shots and help bring the team back to win. We were down 21 (at halftime). Someone had to step it up. We had to put points on the board.”
South Carroll (14-11), which made nine 3-pointers in the first half, had more turnovers than field goals in the second half as the Leopards dialed up their defensive intensity with a swarming, full-court press.
“South Carroll shot the lights out the first half,” Smithsburg coach Eric Gerber said. “It seemed like they made every play. They made every extra pass, and that extra pass led to a made 3-point bucket. We didn’t think they were going to continue to shoot the ball that well, and you always talk at halftime when you’re down about cutting away the lead. We just needed to speed up the game, get some turnovers and get some energy through our guys. Obviously, the press was good, but it was also good for our general demeanor.”
The Leopards outscored the Cavaliers 29-14 in the third quarter and trailed 61-55 entering the final period.
The game was tied 67-67 with a little over three minutes left, before Neff Rios hit a pair of buckets to give Smithsburg the lead for good at 71-67.
A 3-pointer by South Carroll’s Ian Straley cut it to 71-70 with 1:10 remaining, but Max Bono answered with a layup for the Leopards to make it 73-70. And Smithsburg was able to close out the game from there.
Ja’Von Tyler finished with 18 points for the Leopards, while Tyler Ward scored 10 and Josh Summers added nine in the win.
Straley led the Cavaliers with 15 points.
Smithsburg will host Loch Raven in the state quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m., looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2012.
Feb. 29
1A West Region II
Smithsburg 65, Brunswick 41
For one half, the No. 5-seeded Railroaders (6-16) gave the No. 1-seeded and host Leopards (20-4) a scare in Smithsburg's playoff opener, trailing by only one point at intermission.
"All credit to Brunswick, they've been playing really well. They just held Catoctin to 22 points the other night. They lost to Walkersville by four, who took it to us really good the other night at North High (in the CMC small-school championship game)," said Smithsburg coach Eric Gerber. "So we knew they were a really good, solid defensive team. We knew if we weren't knocking down some shots early, it could be a battle."
Tyler Ward and Jacob Tyler helped the Leopards pull away in the second half as Smithsburg outscored Brunswick 41-18 over the final 16 minutes.
Ward scored all of his team-high 16 points in the second half, and Tyler added eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
"Tyler and Jacob really played well in the second half, defensively and offensively," Gerber said. "They really got it going for us."
The Leopards will host South Carroll, a 73-64 winner over Liberty in the other semifinal, on Tuesday night.
Smithsburg opened up a 39-27 lead with a 15-2 run in the third quarter. Ward had a three-point play and Ja'Von Tyler drilled a 3-pointer to spark the run, and Ward capped it with his own 3.
The Leopards switched to a trapping 2-1-2 zone defense out of halftime that Brunswick had trouble solving.
"We really have not played that too much all year. I've been pretty pleased with our man defense, and most of the time if I'm pleased with our man defense, we're going to be playing man," Gerber said. "That was just something we played really well the other night in practice. I've been a little scared sometimes because there's a lot of responsibilities and you've got to be quick, you don't have a lot of time to think when you play it. I finally felt confident enough to use it in meaningful minutes of a game."
Trinity Wright scored eight of his 13 points in the first half for Smithsburg and also grabbed 12 rebounds. Ja'Von Tyler added three 3s for nine points.
3A West Region I
Oakdale 64, North Hagerstown 56
After losing to the Hubs twice during the regular season, No. 3-seeded Oakdale was ready for No. 2 North with a berth to the region title game on the line.
Colin Reno and Gage Linton each scored 17 points for the visiting Bears, who led from start to finish.
The Hubs, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, were down 49-42 entering the fourth quarter. But they never got any closer down the stretch.
“They came out tonight, and they were ready for this game,” North coach Kevin Naylor said of Oakdale. “They just wanted it more than we wanted it in the beginning of this game. They outrebounded us — I think it was like a 20-10 (rebounding advantage) at the half. You can’t win ballgames like that. They were getting downhill to the basket. It was just a situation where we have to be fundamentally sound, and we can’t make stupid mistakes. And we made a lot of bad mistakes tonight.
“We took a couple charges early, but then that went away, and it looked like the Red Sea opened up there the way they were getting to the basket. You’ve got to be disciplined, and you’ve got to stay focused. You can’t lose focus in games like this. That’s the difference. They’ve got that pedigree. They’ve won before, and they know how to win, and we’re trying to learn how to win. And it showed tonight. They were better than us.”
Will Bonds scored 16 points for the Hubs, while Brady Walters had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Dae Weedon scored 11 points.
Zach Nelson added 13 points for Oakdale.
2A West Region I
Middletown 77, Williamsport 60
The No. 3-seeded Wildcats lost on the road to the No. 2 Knights.
Ceonta Wilmore led Williamsport with 19 points, while Jalen Coleman and Jahmeir Byrd each scored 12 and Cole Kriner added 11.
Feb. 27
3A West Region I quarterfinals
North Hagerstown 67, Tuscarora 41
The No. 2-seeded Hubs outscored the No. 7 Titans in every quarter, cruising to the semifinals.
Will Bonds scored a team-high 15 points for North, while Brady Walters had 14 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals in the win.
Dae Weedon hit a long, buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter to give the Hubs a 37-20 halftime lead.
North will host No. 3 Oakdale on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Linganore 61, South Hagerstown 41
The No. 5 Rebels’ season came to an end with a road loss against the No. 4 Lancers.
Damon Breland scored 18 points for South, while Jon Tano had eight points and 10 rebounds.
MPSSAA basketball playoffs: Washington County seedings and matchups
1A West Region I quarterfinals
Southern Garrett 78, Hancock 38
Ethan Hill had 14 points and Jacob Anderson scored nine for the No. 6 Panthers in their loss to the No. 3 Rams.
Allegany 82, Clear Spring 31
Dillon Albowicz led the No. 7 Blazers with 16 points in their loss to the No. 2 Campers.
1A West Region II quarterfinals
South Carroll 57, Boonsboro 51
Jayden Bwana and Blake Marquis each scored 11 points for the No. 6 Warriors in their loss to the No. 3 Cavaliers.
Josh Grey-Theriot and Carter Jackson each had 10 points for Boonsboro.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: MPSSAA boys basketball playoffs: Washington County results
