It was a game runs and flurries in the Class 1A boys basketball title game between Digital Harbor and Pocomoke Saturday afternoon at the Comcast Center in College Park.
In the end it was Digital Harbor’s hot-shooting marksmen which enabled the Rams to build up enough of a cushion to hold off a second-half Pocomoke run on its way to capturing the school’s first state crown, 75-60.
Behind junior Davon Usher’s 17 points (21 total), Digital Harbor (23-5) was able to build leads of 22-6 after the first quarter and 40-24 at halftime.
Despite the deficit, the Warriors (25-2) were not deterred, going on a 13-2 run to start the second half to pull within three, 50-47, early in the fourth quarter.
Rams senior guard George Jackson took over the game from there, scoring 11 of his 20 points with swift and decisive drives to the basket to extend the Rams’ lead to 64-49 and seal the championship.
Jackson's brother, Justin, added 16 points for the Rams, who advanced to the championship game following a 64-45 win over Allegany in Friday’s semifinal. Senior guard Ken Davis also added 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Digital Harbor.
2A Championship: City College ends 40-year slump
Senior Maurice Johnson scored a game-high 16 points in leading City College to its first state championship in any sport since 1968 with a 55-42 victory over Frederick Douglass in the Class 2A boys basketball finals on Saturday at the Comcast Center in College Park.
Johnson, who dedicated the game to his recently-deceased father, received help from Charles Tapper and Nardi Bogues, each scoring 12 points.
The game was highlighted by several lead changes before City went on top for good, 30-28, when Johnson converted a layup with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Knights went on an 11-4 run before the Eagles fought back to pull within two, 41-39, with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Bogues then sank eight consecutive shots from the charity stripe in the waning minutes of the game to seal the win for City (21-6).
Justin Mays paced Douglass (15-11) with 14 points.
3A Championship: Lake Clifton finishes perfect season
The Lake Clifton players went into Saturday afternoon’s Class 3A state championship game determined to walk off the court as they had 27 previous times this season — as winners.
This time, however, they would also walk off with the school’s second state championship in 12 years after defeating Friendly, 75-50, at the Comcast Center in College Park.
Lake Clifton (28-0) wasted little time proving it was the best of the best in Class 3A by shooting a torrid 62 percent from the field to jump out to an insurmountable 35-17 first half lead.
Junior forward Will Barton scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while senior forward Cleveland Melvin added 17 points. Junior guard Antonio Barton chipped in with 16 for the Lakers.
Friendly finished its season with a 23-3 record.
4A Championship: Springbrook captures 4A crown
Jeremy Williams scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead Springbrook to the Class 4A state title with a 73-61 victory over Henry A. Wise on Saturday at the Comcast Center in College Park.
In the back-and-forth game in which neither team led by more than five points until the decisive fourth quarter, Springbrook held a 27-24 halftime lead behind Jamal Olasewere’s 13 points and nine rebounds.
Following several lead changes in the second half, David Golladay drove in for a layup with just over six minutes remaining in the game to draw Wise to within one. But that’s as close as the Pumas would get.
Following a timeout taken by the Blue Devils, Williams scored twice and dished out an assist to spark a 6-0 Springbrook run and extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 50-43.
Olasewere finished with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Brandon Davis chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds for Springbrook.
For Wise, David Golladay scored 20 points and snared 6 rebounds and Phil Wood added 13 and eight.
Springbrook (27-0) shot an impressive 50 percent (19-for-38) from the floor on its way to a second-consecutive state title.
Wise (21-6) was held to just 36.2 percent (21-for-58) shooting in its first title game appearance in the basketball program’s young history (third season).
Girls Basketball Tournament
Class 1A: Digital Harbor 50, Surratsville 41
Class 2A: City 59, River Hill 51, OT
Class 3A: Fallston 65, Paint Branch 62
Class 4A: Eleanor Roosevelt 67, Blake 39
