[Baltimore Sun] Edmondson boys basketball advances to Class 1A state title game with 75-59 win over Smithsburg
Read Time:3 Minute, 50 Second
Seemingly every time Edmondson boys basketball had an anxious moment in Tuesday’s Class 1A state semifinal against Smithsburg, the Red Storm’s defense provided a calming sense of relief.
Edmondson trailed by 10 in the last minute of the first quarter when Josiah Brown turned a steal into a dunk and Chase Foster blocked a shot and went the length of the floor for two more points. In the second quarter, it would be a steal and lay-up from Darnell Dantzler Jr. that gave the Red Storm their first lead.
And then in the third quarter, when Edmondson’s 10-point halftime lead was quickly cut to a point, Dantzler had another steal before finding Robert Price. Then Brown converted another one of his steals into a dunk.
By the midway point of the fourth quarter, the defending state champions had seized control, pulling way for a 75-59 win over the Leopards from Washington County.
Edmondson (25-2) moves to the state title game at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center against the Cambridge-Fort Hill winner on Friday or Saturday. Game time assignments will be determined by tournament administrators after all the boys and girls semifinal results are complete.
On Tuesday, Dantzler finished with a game-high 24 points, scoring 11 in the final two minutes of the second quarter to help the Red Storm take a 41-31 halftime lead. Foster finished with 16, Brown had 12 and Kyrie Sherrod added 12.
Price, a sophomore, came off the bench to score eight points and, more importantly, contain Smithsburg’s leading scorer, Ja’Von Tyler.
“We’ve been in this situation before, so we knew what it was going to take to,” Dantzler said. “We did our homework, we knew coming in they were solid and we would have to give everything we got.”
The Leopards (22-5) put up 96 points in their state quarterfinal win over Loch Raven and their star guard Tyler got going midway through the first quarter Tuesday with four straight 3-pointers that helped build a 17-7 advantage.
After another 3 from Tyler early in the second quarter, Price was assigned the chore of guarding him. Tyler went on to score four more points. Price and defense go hand in hand.
“That’s my favorite part of the game,” he said. “A lot of people don’t like playing defense, but I look forward to playing defense every night I want to go out and guard their best man.”
Related Articles
Baltimore Sun high school Athletes of the Week (March 4-10): Long Reach’s Jayden Saunders and Francis Scott Key’s Drew Watkins
High school sports roundup (March 11)
Student-athlete and amputee who helps empower others with limb loss commits to Hood
Severna Park girls vs Oxon Hill girls basketball | PHOTOS
Oakdale girls basketball rides defense to 52-38 victory over Dulaney in 3A state quarterfinals
Dantzler’s spurt at the end of the first half provided a 41-31 advantage at the break. After Smithsburg opened with the first nine points of the third quarter, the Red Storm’s defense once again took hold of the game — this time for good.
Dantzler had a steal at midcourt and drove the lane before finding Price. Brown had a steal and dunk that made it 45-40 with 4:26 to play in the third. Leading 47-52 going into the fourth quarter, the Red Storm put up 28 points to win easily.
After securing a 56-48 win over Baltimore City rival Lake Clifton in last year’s state title game, the young, talented Edmondson roster saw the potential for more success this year. So far, the Red Storm have lived up to that promise, highlighted by their 50-45 win over City for the Baltimore City title.
And now, they are one win away from a successful defense of their state title.
“It’s going to take everything we have,” Dantzler said. “We know it’s our last game, so it’s going to take everything in us as a team. We’re always confident, but we’re never comfortable because if you get too comfortable, a team can sneak up on you.”
S — 17-14-9-19 — 59
E — 13-28-6-28 — 75
S — Ja’V. Tyler 21, Wright 10, Jac. Tyler 10, Ward 8, Rios 4, Summers 6
E — Dantzler Jr. 24, Foster 16, Brown 13, Sherrod 12, X. Davis 2, Price 8
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0