Mid-Atlantic hoops champions crowned

The Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) Greyhounds ran to their second straight state title with a 54-45 victory over Bird (Chesterfield, Va.) in the Virginia Group AAA state title game on Friday night.

Norcom (30-1), ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings sponsored by the Army National Guard, becomes the first repeat state champion since Woodside in 2004 and '05.

L.C. Bird (25-4) jumped out to a 5-0 lead and led by as many as seven before Norcom cut the lead to 28-26 at the half.

The Greyhounds forced back-to-back turnovers to start the second half and then took their first lead on two free throws by Virginia Tech-bound Dorian Finney-Smith, who finished his stellar high school career with a 19-point, 17-rebound performance.



"It feels so good," Finney-Smith told the Virginian-Pilot. "It just shows that hard work pays off."

Christian Smith led L.C. Bird with 16 points and seven rebounds.

In the Group AAA state championship girls basketball game Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored the game's first 19 points and cruised to a 65-39 victory over Stonewall Jackson.

Elizabeth Williams finished her high school career with 19 points, 19 rebounds and a Group AAA girls tournament record nine blocked shots as the Cavaliers (31-1) won the program's fourth state title.

NORTH POINT BOYS, GAITHERSBURG GIRLS COMPLETE PERFECT SEASONS
North Point (Waldorf, Md.) soared to a 76-72 win over Patterson (Baltimore) (25-2) in the Maryland Class 4A state championship game Saturday night.

The Eagles (27-0) led by 16 at the half, but Patterson fought back and it wasn't until sophomore Naim Muhammad (20 points, 11 rebounds) scored on an easy layup with 20 seconds left that the Eagles knew they had won the school's first boys basketball state title.



Patterson's sophomore sensation Aquille Carr struggled shooting from the floor (9-for-32, 27 points), due in large part to a tenacious defensive effort by Marquis Wright. But one of the state's top players vowed to return to the title game.

"I'm definitely going to bring my team back next year – we're just going to have to play extra hard and try to get one," he told The Baltimore Sun.

In the Class 4A girls' title game, Gaithersburg (Md.) defeated Dr. Henry A. Wise 58-38. Gaithersburg (25-0) was led by junior forward Jackie Jackson's 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Sarah Seipp 10 points and nine rebounds.

Eliqua Brooks scored 22 for Wise (21-6).

SANFORD BOYS AND GIRLS COMPLETE SCHOOL'S SECOND STRAIGHT SWEEP
The Sanford (Hockessin, Del.) boys basketball team completed the school's second consecutive sweep of the basketball state titles in exciting fashion with a 60-58 win in the championship game of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Basketball Tournament over Red Lion Christian Academy (Bear, Del.).

Senior forward Deon Jones nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to set off a frenzied celebration and give the small private school its second straight state title and the school's sixth overall, passing Wilmington High for the most boys titles in state history.

"When the ball released from my fingers I knew it was good," an ecstatic Jones said. "It just felt so great."



Following several lead changes in the fourth quarter, the Lions trailed by one when sophomore forward Javier Martinez put back an offensive rebound to give Red Lion a 58-57 lead with 16 seconds remaining.

Sanford quickly moved the ball up the floor and called a timeout with four seconds remaining, during which Waterman said he designed a play with point guard Khallid Hart as the first option, sharpshooter Trevor Cooney the second, and Jones the third.

"They ran it exactly as we designed it in the huddle," Waterman joked as his players celebrated around him. "As the person inbounding the ball, Deon was our third option on the play. Usually the person inbounding the ball is the most dangerous on a play like that."

Jones finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Cooney, who will play at Syracuse next year, finished with a team-high 18 points, and Hart, only a junior, finished with 12 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Red Lion Christian was led by Martinez's game-high 20 points, while junior Deon Edwin chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Sanford (Hockessin, Del.) girls won their second consecutive state title with a 47-41 win over Cape Henlopen (Lewes, Del.) Friday night.



Naiesha Brown led all scorers with 21 points as the Warriors (20-4) outscored the Vikings 13-4 in the decisive fourth quarter to capture the program's third overall title.

"Today's win was a culmination of a lot of hard work," coach Marcus Thompson said. "In a season where we were riddled with injuries while playing one of the most difficult schedules in the state, it is gratifying to see that the work paid off."

DENDY WINS TRIPLE JUMP AT NEW BALANCE
Middletown (Del.) senior Marquis Dendy won the triple jump at the New Balance Indoor Nationals (N.Y.) with a jump of 51 feet, 3.75 inches, topping the state record he set at the DIAA indoor track and field meet last month.

Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.