Severn tops off perfect league slate with a program-first MIAA B basketball title
Admirals’ win with a total team effort; overcoming a stubborn Gerstell effort and Franze’s 21-points
by Nelson Coffin
While things did not go as well as they did for Severn the last time it encountered Gerstell Academy earlier this month, the Admirals still had the wherewithal to claim the program’s first MIAA B Conference title Saturday afternoon at UMBC’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
Those expecting another runaway similar to the 64-31 pounding Severn inflicted on Feb. 14 were treated to a much more competitive battle this time, nevertheless one in which the Admirals (24-5) emerged with a solid 62-46 victory and an 18-game winning streak intact.
The top seeds took the lead midway through the first quarter, using a 17-3 run ignited by sophomore Sean Harvey’s three-pointer and his senior backcourt mate Kinston Price’s fastbreak finish. Harvey (14 points/5 assists/3 rebounds/1 steal/1 block) and Price (12 points/6 assists/5 rebounds/1 steal) then nailed back-to-back jumpers before junior guard Daniel Growney’s stick-back and drive added to the festivities.
When junior forward Jacob Randall (team-high 19 points/6 rebounds/3 steals/2 blocks/1 assist) joined the fun for the Admirals with a follow, Gerstell replied with a pair of free throws by senior Caleb Franze that was matched by Severn senior center Bo Fowler’s buzzer-beater from the top if the key.
When the dust settled, Severn was comfortably on top, 19-8, to open the second period and continued its fine play while increasing its advantage to 32-18 at the intermission.
Scores by Randall and Growney (11 points/6 rebounds) allowed the Admirals to double their lead in the early going of the third quarter until a baseline three by Gerstell senior guard Dylan Knee (7 rebounds/2 steals/1 assist) seemed to incentivize Franze.
Gerstell senior Malcolm Wingo’s work inside cut the deficit to under double digits for the final time early in the fourth quarter, although the Falcons (21-12) kept applying pressure while making it a 10-point game on three different occasions — a finish in the paint by junior center Colin Toms (13-points/game-high 13 rebounds/3 assists/1 block), a pair of Wingo free throws and a Franze runner.
After Severn coach Mike Glasby called a timeout, the Admirals played keep-away and forced the Falcons to send them to the foul line in order to secure the win.
Randall said that the thought of running the table in the B Conference did put some pressure on the newly-minted champs.
“It does put a little bit of pressure, but I know that we’re battle-tested and that we’ve been through a lot this year,” he said.
Randall also had a tip of the cap for Franze, who led all scorers with 21 points.
“We kind of let No. 3 (Franze) get hot in the second half,” Randall continued. “But I had trust in my guys the whole time. I knew we would come away with the win. I knew it would be us vs. us, not them. It’s really been us all year in close games and we were able to push through.”
Price, who shadowed Franze closely in the fourth quarter, said that the Admirals don’t allow runs to affect them.
“We know that runs are going to happen,” he said. “Our biggest thing was, let’s reset, let’s go back out there and take away what he likes to do and let’s keep playing hard.”
Glasby said that despite the final score of the regular-season tussle between the rivals, the outcome was close until the third quarter.
“They’re a competitive group,” he said. “Coach Jeff (Cheevers) does a great job with those guys and they obviously have a great player in point guard Franze, who can make tough shots. At the end of the day, we wanted to stick with our principles. When you play against tough players, sometimes they’re going to make tough shots, so you just continue to stay the course. When you play with a lot of energy, effort and communication, a lot of good things are going to happen.”
The coach added that the Admirals played straight man-to-man defense to tamp down Gerstell’s comeback bid.
“There wasn’t anything that we did that was a crazy adjustment or anything,” he said. “We just wanted to stay solid.”
Glasby said that the Admirals’ vision has helped them to move forward from a 5-5 start against some stiff competition.
“As far as learning from some of those games that were close losses, we’ve still got a young group — growing and figuring it out,” he concluded, noting his team will compete in the Maryland Private School State Basketball Tournament beginning Wednesday.