B’More Brings Home the Bacon
Ron Bailey, Publisher
Baltimore High School's Get it Done on the Championship Stage
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March 16, 2009 – March 16, 2009 - At the start of this year’s Maryland State Boys and Girls Basketball Finals, Baltimore City was at the precipice of making history; the state’s largest city, well known for producing basketball talent, yet not in recent memory for winning Free State titles, had an excellent opportunity to do just that given its seven entrants. This included Digital Harbor’s boys and girls in the 1A classification, Lake Clifton’s boys in 2A, 3A’s City College girls and boys along with Western’s Girls, and finally in the state’s 4A classification, Walbrook’s boys team.
Bob Wade, former Baltimore high school coaching great who also led the University of Maryland in Atlantic Coast Conference action and is now the city’s high school Athletic Director, was thrilled Thursday at the Charm City’s showings up to that time. “I feel ecstatic to have seven teams that could possibly win a state championship” he said. “It just goes to show the great coaches we have and that there are great kids in Baltimore”.
He also indicated Baltimore County in the past is believed to have eight teams in the semifinals, but in recent memory no other jurisdiction can make the claim of seven teams in contention.
Well, after the dust settled Saturday evening Maryland’s Comcast Center (boys) and UMBC’s RAC Arena (girls) B’Mo came awfully close to a septuplet of crowns destination, winning five intead. The results follow:
Digital Harbor (Boys) 75 Pocomoke 60
Digital Harbor jumped out to an early lead, but allowed Pocomoke to reduce the lead to fewer than five later in the game. The team’s coach, Johnnie Grimes, on the outcome’s difference maker: “The basketball game is a game of runs. Sometimes we can get complacent.
“The kids just don’t want to lose, and at the end, you have to get the ball to the captain, George Jackson”.
George Jackson (nets) with brother Justin Jackson, himself a force with 16 points and six rebounds.
Jackson, a senior guard repeatedly got to the rim for easy shots, finishing with 20 points and five assists. Junior forward Davon Usher (21 points, six assists) led Digital Harbor (23-5) early. The team shot 52.6% from the field and 80% amongst three point shots specifically.
Pocomoke (25-2) got 21 points and 10 rebounds from senior forward Sebastian Sturgis.
“We showed no composure” said that team’s coach, Derrick Fooks. “We went down three to down nine or 10”.
Lake Clifton (Boys) 75 Friendly 50
Never really in doubt, Lake Clifton showed why their undefeated record was no fluke; the Dolphins dominated. Coach Herman ‘Tree’ Harried expected no less: “I think they played well all year. To be 28-0, you have to play well…they stayed together”.
Fueling this win over Friendly (24-4) was ‘Lake’s’ 23-7 first/second quarter run, effectively ending the contest. Per Harried, a defensive decision by Friendly aided in that surge. “They pushed out so wide” he said of Friendly bench general Rob Gardner’s scheme in which his team guarded actively and aggressively on the perimeter. In Harried’s opinion, doing so “was to our advantage”, as his four-around-one offensive scheme spreads the floor, taking advantage of the driving and shooting ability of the school’s players.
Junior swingman William Barton (20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals) shot and dunked regularly and efficiently (75% and 50% from the field and three point area respectively). His brother, junior point guard Antonio Barton dropped 16 points, four assists and four rebounds, while double figures were provided by junior center Cleveland Melvin (17 points, six rebounds) and senior Jason Sharp (12 points).
Lake Clifton has brought the 2A banner to East Baltimore.
Gardner felt his foes “came out firing and did a great job defending”. None of his team’s players scored in double figures, but senior guard Henry Hook came close with nine points and three rebounds, while his classmate, swingman Bryan Brooks (six points, seven rebounds) battled.
Much talk has been circulating around Baltimore in terms of this Lake Clifton squad’s place as one of the best in Charm City history. Barton articulated his position well. “I think we are one of the greatest teams ever” he said, before noting even the great Dunbar teams of the ’80’s, with their national ranking “didn’t win the state championship”. He went on to say the Dolphins “beat Digital Harbor, City, and Walbrook” (the first two won state titles, the last made the semifinal round).
Baton also identified the team’s victory over Baltimore Catholic League champ Saint Frances, a win which taken with the ones listed above answers any charge of “the league being down” as precluding Lake Clifton from legendary status.
Can anyone argue against it?