NHSCA Basketball Festival
2009 Coverage
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NHSCA Tournament, Day 1
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NHSCA Tournament, Day 3
North Caroline cruises over Indian River
Indian River had no answers for the problems North Caroline imposed upon them Wednesday at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival. The Indians struggled, breaking the Bulldogs' press and failed to curb North Caroline's hot shooting, as Indian River fell 91-54. "If you play defense, you won't have to have an offense, because your defense is going to create offense," said North Caroline head coach Gary Gould. "That's all we look for, and that's how we are playing so well right now. It's because of our defense." The Indians held an early 5-4 lead in the first quarter, but it would be short-lived as the Bulldogs went on a 17-5 run to end the quarter, giving North Caroline a 21-10 lead after the opening eight minutes. Indian River's struggles continued in the second quarter, as North Caroline would score more points in the second period (26) than the Indians would tally in the entire first half (24). "We came out a little lackadaisical energy wise," said Gould. "But we turned it on in the end, and the defense once again did what we expect it to do." Ka-Ron Bell led the Bulldogs scoring attack with 21 points, nearly all of which came off of shots from within 10 feet of the rim. Herb Dennis had his second outstanding game of the tournament, as the senior guard was a pest on defense and poured in 18 points. Jack Cole led his Indians squad, as the forward scored 20 points. Even with a sizable lead, the Bulldogs never let up, running their full court press until the start of the fourth quarter when they removed their starting five. But even North Caroline's reserves were able to press and create several turnovers, not allowing Indian River to ever feel completely comfortable on the offensive end of the floor. "We wear teams down with our conditioning," said Gould. "If we continue to run, teams will stop and that's when the score gets like it (was today.) I'm happy with the way we played, because we are continuing to win. We are learning along the way so maybe it will help us in the end." -- delmarvanow.com
C.H. Flowers rallies hard against Sussex
Starting out ugly and ending as a thriller, C.H. Flowers rallied, down from as many as 10 points, late to beat Sussex Tech 67-62 in overtime Wednesday. "We've been able to get to big starts early but we just haven't been able to finish in the fourth quarter," said Sussex Tech coach Steve Perry. "I just told our guys we have to hang in there." From the start of the game, both teams had difficulty with turnovers and missed shots as a total of 37 points were scored in the first half. The second quarter yielded minimal results for the Jaguars (4-3) as they could only muster four points going into the half down 24-13 to the Ravens. Over the next 20 minutes of gameplay, C.H. Flowers showed their resolve and slowly mounted a comeback. The Ravens (0-7) led by as much as 12 in the third quarter, with the Jaguars' continuing to struggle as their shots would rim out of the basket and their passes went errantly into the crowd. C.H. Flowers was able to narrow the gap by six points heading into the final frame. As the fourth quarter progressed, the Jaguars would continuously inch closer to tying the game, only to see the Ravens go up by eight. But in the last minute, C.H. Flowers was finally able to break through. Down eight points, the Jaguars' Deondrea Okosun hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five. "Deondrea's shot was what lifted us up," said Jaguars' coach Billy Lanier. "The last five minutes of the game where the momentum changed in our favor." After an Olumide Akinwande basket to cut the lead to 55-52, Sussex Tech turned the ball over on a traveling call and Okosun was fouled with eight seconds in the game. Okosun made the first free-throw and intentionally missed the shot, with guard Tra Burke tipping in the tying basket to send the game into overtime. Burke finished the game with 13. In the extra period, C.H. Flowers went on a 12-7 run to clinch the victory. Okosun finished with 13 points and Emmanuel Wood had 17 for the Jaguars. Troy DeShields and Tyler Belle each scored 16 points in the losing effort for Sussex Tech. -- delmarvanow.com
Parkside holds on for the win
After leading by as much as 18 points, Parkside had to convert their free throws down the stretch to weather a fourth quarter rally by Queen Anne, as the Rams defeated the Lions 61-52 at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival. "Give (Queen Anne) a lot of credit -- they came back and had more energy than we did," said Parkside head coach David Byer. "They got the loose balls and hit some shots. It was closer than nine points there in the end." The Parkside (3-4) lead seemed tenuous in the fourth quarter, the Rams' 56-38 margin with under five-and-a-half minutes began to disappear when shooting went stone cold. Queen Anne seized the opportunity, going on a 12-0 scoring run to pull within six points with less than 90 seconds to play. However, the Rams were able to hit their foul shots to secure the win. "We were up 15, 16, 17 points in the third quarter and then we got a little lackadaisical," said Byer. "We didn't execute for about a seven minute period. They hit some shots, we changed to a zone defense and then didn't get out to challenge their shots. It got back to a game at the end and we had to hit our free throws." The Rams built a 13-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and took a 27-15 margin into halftime, largely due to the number of turnovers they forced the Lions to commit. Parkside used a variety of three-quarter and full court presses to pressure Queen Anne into bad passes and give-aways. "We utilized our height well tonight," said Byer. "I thought our press really hurt them at times, and created some easy baskets for us." Parkside junior guard Paul Butler led the Rams' attack with 16 points, while teammate Devonte Walke added 15. Freshman Justin Ramey paced the Queen Anne attack with a game high 18 points. With the Rams reeling in the fourth, Ramey found himself at the line with a chance to capitalize on a crucial Parkside mistake. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Queen Anne's Lloyd Bramble missed an open three-point shot. Parkside's Larry Cornish grabbed the rebound and quickly threw an outlet pass to teammate Joal Baily. Baily, all alone on the fast break, went up to dunk the ball and put an exclamation point on the Rams win, however the ball bounced out and Baily received a technical foul for hanging on the rim. The technical was Baily's fifth foul and disqualified him from the contest, while also sending the Lions' Ramey to the free throw line. Ramey hit both of his attempts to cut Parkside's lead to 56-50. With the ball Queen Anne had the chance to make it a one possession game, however a three point shot from Ramey rattled out and signaled an end to the Lions come back attempt. -- delmarvanow.com
Del., Md. top schools go head-to-head
Led by guard Deon Jones' 27 points, Sanford easily defeated Dunbar 80-64 in a Tuesday match-up between one of Delaware's top schools against a perennial Maryland state champion. "Knowing Dunbar's history and tradition, this was a big win for us," said Sanford coach Stan Waterman. "We wanted to get off to a quick start early and we were able to do that." Offense was at a premium for both teams at the start of the game as a total of 18 points ---- nine apiece for each team ---- were scored in the first quarter. Jones led all scorers with six points. "(Dunbar) is a pretty good team and we knew we had to play good defense and play harder than them," Jones said. "We played hard and we were able to get the victory." The scoring pace picked up significantly in the second quarter as the Warriors outscored the Poets (4-2) by a 23-13 margin at the end of the half led. "We've seen a lot better competition in our league," said Dunbar coach Cyrus Jones. "But (Guard Tevor Cooney and Jones) have a bright future and they could play in the (Baltimore City) conference." Sanford (3-0) continued their hot shooting after the intermission as Cooney and Jones combined for 16 points to push the lead up to 14 points. Dunbar ended up in the double bonus before the end of the third quarter. The Poets fell behind by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, but were able to cut the margin to 12 points before Cooney squashed all hopes of a comeback with a demoralizing dunk. That basket was the last of his 25 points for the game. "I stayed aggressive throughout the game," he said. "When that started working, we were able to make good shot selection. There's no team in (Delaware) like them." Waterman said coming to the NHSCA Festival allowed his squad to play in a state tournament atmosphere. "Dunbar is a very athletic squad that never lets up and we were able to beat them," he said. "We feel pretty good about our experience and our team." For Dunbar, Derrell Edwards led in scoring with 15 and Darian Scott and Nathan Ayers each contributed 10. -- delmarvanow.com
WICOMICO 72, INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP 51
Marquis Ewell led the Indians with 25 points, and Tyjae Blackwell contributed with 16 points. Travis Townsend chipped in with 11 points, and Myles Lyons added 10 points for Wicomico in the NHSCA Basketball Festival. -- delmarvanow.com
Parkville Knights use height to grab NHSCA win
Armed with height and athleticism, Parkville was able to hold off Cape Henlopen in a 76-64 win Monday at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. The game started off close as Parkville (4-3) ended up with an 18-17 advantage over Cape to end the first quarter, led by guard Denzel Walker's six points. Walker finished with 14. Used to seeing a 2-1-2 zone defense when playing in Baltimore County, the Knights were subjected to man-to-man defense executed by the Vikings (3-4). "I knew it would be a good test for us," said Parkville coach Rod Norris. "It was actually nice to see a team chase us a little bit on defense." In the second quarter, Parkville's big men began imposing their will, and 6-foot-6 inch forward Damon Debreaux scored six points, leading to a 35-32 halftime advantage. At the start of the second half, Parkville tried to pull away from Cape Henlopen, but were unable to shake them. The Knights ended up in the penalty early, giving the Vikings several attempts to cut into the lead, converting eight of their 13 attempts at the free-throw line. Once again, Parkville's big men scored 12 third-quarter points, including six each from center James Milton (6-feet-7 inches) and forward Lakeem Duncan (6-feet-6 inches) including two big dunks by each. "There are some teams in (Delaware) that have athletic big men but not any in conference," said Cape Henlopen coach Dwight Tingle. "We played two very athletic teams close, and this will help us in our conference play." In the fourth quarter, the two teams continued to stay close with Cape reducing the deficit to one point with more than five minutes remaining, but the man defense that gave Parkville problems early on eventually faltered, and the Knights went on a 17-8 run to end the game. Parkville's scoring was led by Duncan's 15 points and Milton and Debreaux finished each with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Cape's Jonathan Dukes led all scorers with 18 points. -- delmarvanow.com
North Caroline downs Woodbridge, sets a goal to attend states
North Caroline senior guard Herb Dennis put on a show Monday against Woodbridge in the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival, scoring 35 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 67-60 comeback victory. "I think (Dennis) is probably one of the better guards in the Bayside and on the Eastern Shore," said North Caroline head coach Gary Gould. "In the transition game and the up-and-down game he's really tough to guard." Woodbridge witnessed Dennis' allusiveness with the ball, as the senior guard penetrated deep into the paint consistently against the Blue Raiders. Dennis drove both to his left and his right, either finishing at the rim or drawing the foul from the Woodbridge defense. "I had to will my team and show them that we are anxious to win and we can't quit," said Dennis. "I had to take over the game, show my team that we have to be aggressive and get to the free throw line." After registering only two points in the first quarter, Dennis scored North Caroline's first seven points in the second frame. Even though Dennis would go on to score a total of 11 points in the quarter, it still wasn't enough to get his Bulldogs squad over the hump, and they went into the halftime intermission trailing the Blue Raiders, 24-20. Woodbridge was able to stretch out its lead in the third quarter, increasing its advantage to an eight point margin four separate times. The Blue Raiders' Gregory Seay gave his team their biggest lead of the game at 44-34 with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter, grabbing an offense rebound and scored two of his 15 points. But North Caroline would not go away, and they trimmed the Woodbridge lead to 45-41 going into the final quarter of play. The Bulldogs started the frame with a 7-2 run, highlighted by a breakaway dunk from Ka-Ron Bell that gave North Caroline its first lead of the game. Woodbridge would briefly reclaim the lead at 54-53, but on the next trip down the court, Dennis connected on a fade away jumper while getting fouled. Dennis would convert the free throw and his team would not look back. "We feel as though our conditioning is better than everyone else's and the style of play that we have wears teams down," said Gould. "Our goal is to go to states. We have to play better than this if we want to go to states, but I thought we did all right today." -- delmarvanow.com
Crisfield boys defeat Polytechnic
The Crisfield boys basketball team defeated Baltimore Polytechnic on Monday in the NHSCA Basketball Festival, winning 65-57. Crisfield was led by Greg Bozman, who netted 24 points, leading all scorers. Trey White pitched in with 23 points, while Josh Scarborough contributed with 16 rebounds. Baltimore Polytechnic was led by Montre Clairion, who netted 21 points, grabbing 13 rebounds in the losing effort. -- delmarvanow.com
WICOMICO 77, QUEEN ANNE'S 45
Marquis Ewell led the Indians with 19 points, while Zarmar Collins chipped in with 12 points in a NHSCA Tournament match. -- delmarvanow.com
GWYNN PARK 83, MARDELA 60
Mardela's Kody Jacoby led all scorers with 24 points in the losing effort for the Warriors in the NHSCA Basketball Festival game. Mike Hemsley and Brandon Ford scored 18 and 17 for the Gwynn Park Yellow Jackets. Denero Lomax had 16 and Londale Anderson tallied 16 and 15 points respectively for Mardela. -- delmarvanow.com
LAUREL 63, QUEEN ANNES 46
Chris Jones scored 15 points and Jeffery Robertson added 10 in the Bulldog victory during the NHSCA Basketball Festival game. Justin Ramey and Larry Haley each scored 12 for the Lions. -- delmarvanow.com
White's Christmas: Guard has merry time leading Washington With the help of a big turnover-aided run at the end of the first half, Washington defeated Indian River 69-52 on Saturday at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. "We knew absolutely nothing about Indian River," Washington coach Vic Burns said. "It was kind of neat being able to play somebody we don't get to see often." The game started as a back-and-forth battle, as both teams swapped the lead throughout the first quarter, with the Indians (0-4) ending the period up 15-12. In the second quarter, the Jaguars (2-5), trailing 22-20, went on 13-0 run with the help of several turnovers by the Indians. Washington guard Tavon White scored 11 points, and the Jaguars went into halftime with an 11-point lead. "I thought we were too loose in the beginning of the game, and they outhustled us," Burns said. "We started pressing them, and they started making mistakes. Eventually, we were able to wear them down." At the start of the third quarter, White continued his torrid pace, scoring nine of his team's 17 points. The sophomore finished with 28 points. "I wasn't rushing any of my shots, and they were just falling," White said. "Our defense and our pressure was big in helping us get transition baskets." Not looking to fall behind any further, the Indians attempted make the lead of 15 disappear, but could not stop the Jaguars. "We tried to play defensively, but we were too far behind," Indian River coach Marvin Phillips said. "Washington is a good, balanced team, and we just fell apart before the half." Washington's Trey Rainey finished with 13 points, Nykeem Williams had 12, and Aaron Corbin had 10. Patriel Bratton's 14 points led the Indians. The Jaguars will take on Baltimore Poly on Tuesday, and the Indians play Patterson on Monday. -- delmarvanow.com
Dread-the-Poets Society: Teams fear Dunbar
With its history and prestige, the Dunbar boys basketball team is often looked at as the favorite in the MPSSAA 1A championship hunt. The Baltimore school will continue its road to another title as one of 30 teams participating in the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. The Poets will play two of their six nonconference games of the season Monday and Tuesday. "We came down last year and we enjoyed it," Dunbar coach Cyrus Jones said. "The field was very competitive, and the people were very nice." A perennial contender, Dunbar is known for his production of NBA talent as well as its pedigree as a constant in the state championship scene. The Poets -- whose hardwood alumni included David Wingate, Keith Booth, Muggsy Bogues and Reggie Lewis -- have played in state championship games from 1993 to 2007, taking home titles in all but three of those years. Jones knows of the team's legacy. He was a member of Dunbar's 1992 squad, which went 29-0 and won a national championship. "People have already penciled us in [to win another state title]," Jones said. "We haven't been living up to expectations." Looking to get back to their first 1A title game in three years, the Poets (3-1) started the season with their starting point guard Corey Spence, a senior, injured in a car accident, causing him to miss the team's first four games. The Poets started the season with a loss to Archbishop Carroll of Washington, but rebounded to win their next three games by an average of 30 points. They're led by seniors Nathan Ayers and Derrell Edwards. Edwards, who averaged 19 points a game as a junior, recently committed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. "(Derrell) is the engine that gets our team going," Jones said. While they will not face any local teams this weekend, Dunbar isn't unfamiliar with Eastern Shore competition. They've played the likes of Wicomico, Pocomoke and Snow Hill in either state semifinal or championship games over the years. "We're definitely aware of the talent," Jones said. "We just don't get to see those teams." Pocomoke coach Derrick Fooks, a member of the Warriors coaching staff that faced Dunbar in the 2002 1A state final, said the key to playing them was to see them as "just another team." "We played with a little more determination than them," Fooks said. "We knew in order to be the best we had to beat the best. It was probably the greatest upset in Maryland history." As for the remainder of their season, Jones said his team should have one goal in mind. "Championship and nothing less," he said. "Anything less than a state championship is a failure." -- delmarvanow.com
Civic Center ready for high school basketball festival
Schools are closed for the holidays, but that doesn't mean high school sports are dormant until after the New Year. The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center (with some help from Wicomico High School) will host four days of boys basketball during the National High School Coaches Association High School Basketball Festival starting Saturday. The five-day event features a mix of local schools and talent from neighboring states.
IS THE FESTIVAL NEW? It is the direct descendant of the longtime Lions Club basketball tournament. Over the last few years, it's gone from strictly a local affair to what organizers hope is the cusp of becoming a nationally recognized event, drawing some of the country's best basketball teams.
WHO IS PARTICIPATING? The festival has 30 teams. The majority of the field is made up of Delmarva teams from the Bayside and Henlopen conferences, with a few squads from the Baltimore-Washington metro area and Delaware and Virginia. So if you attend a session of the festival, you might see Laurel playing North Dorchester or a team from northern Delaware, such as Sanford, play against perennial Baltimore powerhouse Dunbar.
SO IS IT A MARCH MADNESS, WINNER-TAKE-ALL THING? Sadly, no. The draw is split into four divisions -- Dr Pepper, Perdue, M&T Bank and OC104 -- depending on the talent level. In a year or two, NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said he hopes to be able to schedule a traditional, single-elimination-style tournament.
ARE THERE ANY PLAYERS I NEED TO SEE DURING THE FESTIVAL? There is a lot talent sprinkled throughout the event. By all the coaches' own assessments, there are 38 Division I prospects coming to Salisbury over the next few days. While players such as Stephen Decatur's Cedric Johnson are probably familiar to Delmarva residents, here's a few out-of-towners to watch for:
Aquille Carr, Patterson High, Baltimore. The 5-foot-6 freshman point guard is averaging 24 points, 11.2 assists and 6.3 steals this season while stepping into a team that went 18-6 last year.
Trevor Cooney, Sanford High, Hockessin, Del. The guard is considered one of the top junior prospects in the country, with scholarship offers from the likes of Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Maryland, Wake Forest and Saint Joseph's.
Jeff James, Bowie High. The senior swingman has committed to play for Mount St. Mary's next year.
WILL IT BE JUST GAMES? Sunday has been dubbed "Free Festival Day Sunday" and will feature high school 3-point and slam dunk contests. Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry will be at the Civic Center on Wednesday during the evening session, starting at 5:45 p.m., to talk with players and coaches and sign autographs for those in attendance. That same night, the Rotary Club of Salisbury will sell chances for one fan to attempt a $25,000 half-court shot during halftime of the final game. Chances are $3 each or three for $5.
WHAT IS THE COST TO WATCH GAMES DURING THE FESTIVAL? Tickets are on sale at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center box office. There are two sessions, day and night, per day. Ticket prices for each session are $5 for students and seniors, $10 for adults and $40 for VIP courtside seats. With a paying adult ticket, one child younger than 10 will be admitted free. -- delmarvanow.com
Former NBA Assistant to guest speak during brunch
Former NBA Assistant Coach Brendan Suhr is scheduled to headline the Team Brunch of the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival on Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. All tournament participants and the public are invited to attend. Suhr spent 28 seasons on the NBA sidelines, most notably on Chuck Daly's Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boy" staff, winning two championships. Tickets for the brunch are $15 per person. Contact the Wicomico Civic Center Box Office at 410-548-4911. -- delmarvanow.com
NHSCA festival to see Hall of Famer
The NHSCA Basketball Festival will start on Saturday, Dec. 26- Dec. 30 with an NBA Hall of Famer attending Wednesday's action. Rick Barry, who was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and is the only player to lead the NBA, NCAA and ABA in scoring, will be on hand to talk to players, coaches and sign autographs. Barry scored more than 25,000 points in his pro career, averaging 30 points in four different seasons. Barry was also named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. On Wednesday there will also be a chance for one fan to win $25,000 in an attempt to make a half court shot during the final game of the Festival. One chance costs $3 and three chances cost $5. The cost for adult admissions is $10 and $5 for students and seniors. -- delmarvanow.com
Event features local, Baltimore-area hoopsters
A mix of local squads and teams from the Baltimore-Washington metro area fill out this year's NHSCA High School Basketball Festival field, event organizers announced Wednesday. The five-day event, which begins Dec. 26, features many boys teams from the Bayside and Henlopen South divisions, along with perennial Maryland powerhouses such as Patterson and Dunbar. Tickets go on sale Dec. 16 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. This year's draw will be split into four divisions -- Dr Pepper, Perdue, M&T Bank and OC104 -- depending on talent level. "This year's event has a fantastic field -- there's 30 teams," NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said. "As identified by their high school coaches, there are 38 Division I prospects on those 30 teams, so we should have some great quality here competing." The festival also will feature slam dunk and three-point contests, while one night will have people shooting from half court to win $25,000. The festival has changed since its inception with the Lions Club in the 1980s, but remains a good event for the area's teams, Wicomico boys basketball coach Butch Waller said, especially during the traditional holiday lull. "It's a big shot in the arm for the coach and players, because they have something to do," Waller said. "This makes it nice, because we do see some faces. In fact, we see some teams that we may catch in the regional state playoffs." In the coming years, Waller hopes the tournament will continue to attract big-time programs. "In my opinion, we need to get the best teams in the state -- the DeMathas, the Montrose Christians, the Bishop O'Connells, a couple of teams out of Baltimore," Waller said. "I'm personally calling Montrose Christian, Bishop O'Connell and DeMatha. Once you get those schools in, you'll draw from other big-time schools in from other states. That's what's really going to draw the college coaches in here, to see these big-time players. That's what we need, that's the next step." Right now, Ferraro said, they are still trying to work out kinks in scheduling, in planning and talking to these teams early enough for them to agree to come down the Salisbury. "Our goal was to develop a super-eight bracket this year, but teams didn't have three games to give to that," Ferraro said. Still, Ferraro thinks the next couple of years with the festival will put it on the cusp of becoming really big. "I'm excited about what I think the potential growth of the event is," he said. "We've partnered with the High School Television Network, which has media distribution rights with ESPN, ESPNU, Comcast regional sports division. In partnering with them, I think we're going to be able to expose the tournament nationally, with the right format." -- delmarvanow.com