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Brandon Brooks scored 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had 6 assists
Entering February, Montgomery County teams have had no action for over a week, with most team’s last games dating back to January 21. With three weeks to go in the regular season, the county will enter February with twelve teams holding a winning record, including an undefeated Whitman squad and two others with just one loss, Magruder and Poolesville. In the season’s final three weeks before the postseason kicks off, here are the top storylines to watch for in Montgomery County Varsity Boys Basketball: 1. Four of Whitman’s (11-0) final games will come against teams with +.500 records, as the Vikings are set to play Sherwood and Richard Montgomery at home while they will travel to Walter Johnson and Damascus. Thus far, Whitman has only played three throughout the entire season, two of which were in the team’s first two games of the year. They took down now 8-4 Blair by 15, followed by an eight point win over 9-3 Kennedy, but competition has since slowed down. Most recent games included 27-point wins over both 0-13 Gaithersburg and 1-11 Clarksburg. Junior Max Williams and senior Bobby Zedak are both averaging 16.5 PPG for the Vikings, and will need to keep performing at a high level if the Vikings want to remain undefeated as they look to avenge two consecutive state championship losses. 2. The game of the season for Montgomery County teams is yet to take place, and it won’t come until the final day of the regular season. Magruder (12-1) is set to travel to Poolesville (11-1) in the last game of the season on February 20. Prior to that, both teams have high-stakes match ups, as the Colonels are also set to rematch the 8-4 Paint Branch Panthers at home on Friday. The Panthers handed Magruder their lone loss, coming in a 62-48 road defeat. So far, Magruder has six wins over +.500 teams. Poolesville (11-1) is riding a 10 game win streak but they have not played a +.500 team in over three weeks. Their most recent game against a team with a winning record was against the 8-4 Seneca Valley Raiders, where they won by 20 points. The Falcons are set to face Northwest (7-7) and Clarksburg (1-11) before a rematch on the road against the Raiders, which is set to tip off on Friday at 7:15. 3. Five teams, Seneca Valley, Damascus, Walter Johnson, Paint Branch, and Blair all currently sit at 8-4. Out of these five, Paint Branch has the hardest schedule, with five games scheduled against winning teams, including 9-3 Kennedy, 11-3 Blake, and 12-1 Magruder while Blake has the easiest with just three, those being 9-3 Richard Montgomery, 9-3 Kennedy, and 7-5 Sherwood. Damascus comes in second, followed by Seneca Valley and Walter Johnson. 4. The Gaithersburg Trojans, who are yet to capture their first win this season have several chances before the end of the season to avoid a totally winless campaign. After tomorrow’s game against 12-1 Magruder, they’re set to travel to Paint Branch to take on the 3-8 Panther on Wednesday. Following that game, they’ll host the 3-10 Springbrook Blue Devils on Friday, and then the 2-11 Northwood squad to wrap up their season on February 20. Both of Northwood’s wins came against 1-11 teams, as they took down Rockville at home by five points in Mid-December, and Einstein on the road by seven on January 14. 5. Four teams in the East are separated by just one game in league play, with Blake and Magruder at 4-1 while Sherwood and Paint Branch sit at 3-2. Each team will face two of the others by the end of this week with the final of the three before the season’s end. Apart from divisional games, Blake will have a three-game stretch where they play 0-13 Gaithersburg, 6-6 Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and 4-8 Wootton. Sherwood will play 3-10 Springbrook in their first game back from the week off, but they will finish their season against 11-0 Whitman, 8-4 Blair, and 8-4 Walter Johnson. Finally, Paint Branch will host 8-4 Damascus and will travel to face 9-4 Kennedy in two of their final three games of the regular season. A big shakeup could be coming in the East division before playoffs begin!
Photo courtesy of @therealphotoking Instagram. The Montgomery County boys’ basketball standings are only getting tighter and tighter — with each passing week, razor-thin margins reflect a seriously competitive division. That trend continued on Friday, as Paint Branch earned its eighth win of the season in a comeback effort over Seneca Valley in overtime, 60-58. Both programs now sit with an 8-4 record, and both are top 10 in the county standings. Paint Branch was aggressive off the tip, trapping and double-teaming Seneca Valley at multiple points — on the wings, in the post and at the top of the 3-point line. But this confusing defense was handled by the Eagles, who quickly found the open man in the middle of the paint for the first bucket of the game. But the Panthers’ offense was equally aggressive. Paint Branch, which has been a steady shooting squad from downtown for most of the year, was instead intentional with its drives early. Some of the drives were a bit reckless, creating excessive contact, but the message was sent — the drives opened up the 3-ball later in the quarter. Paint Branch ended the first frame with a 14-9 advantage. The second quarter was a defensive clinic, for the large part. Seneca Valley moved the ball with pace and aplomb, but it had a much tougher time breaking Paint Branch’s shifting zone. The zone didn’t allow Ian Bullie, the team’s sizable big, to get any free looks or paint touches. Paint Branch’s Ryan Bobb and the Eagles’ Jamari Hoes traded late 3-pointers, and with the help of some free throws, Seneca Valley swung the tide in its favor, taking a 23-21 lead to the break. The advantage grew to as big as 10 points by the end of the third quarter. Seneca Valley used the Panthers’ turnovers to their advantage, and the size mismatches in the paint offered plenty of second chance opportunities — some big hitters came from beyond the arc in the third frame. The Eagles also consistently pushed the pace in transition, catching Paint Branch’s trapping zone in poor positions. With just eight minutes left to play, Seneca Valley led 41-31. Paint Branch needed a desperate response, so how did it get it? In regulation, it truly came down to the last 1:38, when Paint Branch assumed possession down 50-41. Quick ball movement led to a three, but it was off the mark. A quick turnover on the other end gave the Panthers the ball back. After getting fouled on a quick inbounds pass, Kahlil Fountain hit two free throws. Then the turnover bug struck again with under a minute to play. Instead of taking the open space provided to them with all of the Paint Branch defenders essentially attacking one player, the Eagles kept trying to play keepaway. In the end, that strategy backfired immensely. Charles “Malik” Simmons Jr. then missed a pair of free throws, as the ball continued to bounce Paint Branch’s way. A Bobb deep 3-pointer and steal-and-score ultimately tied the game and forced overtime. In the four minute extra period, the action was back-and-forth and foul-ridden. Seneca Valley nearly did to Paint Branch what the Panthers had done to it just minutes before, finding itself down six with 40 seconds left. Malachi Delaware was fouled on a three and then hit a layup shortly afterwards. But a Bobb free throw was enough to keep the game in hand for Paint Branch, who earned a resilient victory Friday night.
Brandon Brooks scored 24 points, and Jesse Sindjui scored a career high 22 points
In this rivalry matchup, the Einstein boys basketball team loses to Blair, 43-66, falling down to 1-6 on the season.
Brandon Brooks scored 23 points and Presley Atem added 18 points
Photo courtesy of Poolesville Athletics Instagram. Two 4-1 teams took the court Monday night for a heavyweight bout — and the product didn’t disappoint. Though low scoring, the Falcons ultimately seized the 48-44 victory to improve to 5-1 and tie for fourth in the county standings. The Panthers opened up an early 9-2 lead, thanks to a deep three and some free throw opportunities. Poolesville’s zone defense, combined with Paint Branch’s nifty cutting and quick finishing caught the Falcons off guard. Ryan Bobb hit his stride early for Paint Branch after being a huge factor for the Falcons in the second half of their game against Blake. Bobb was a consistent scorer from both deep and the midrange Monday, and even earned himself a trip to the free throw line early. His efforts accounted for the Panthers’ 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. It didn’t take long for the Falcons to get back in the game, however. Poolesville embarked on a rapid 8-0 run to seize the lead, and it was all done inside the arc. But the Panthers didn’t back down from this sudden explosion, using some of its own physicality to assert itself inside. A tough drive and and-one finish capped off a 6-0 run of their own to give them a 24-18 lead. Paint Branch ultimately led 28-25 at the halftime break. Armaan Jain was the catalyst for many of Poolesville’s scores late in the period, asserting himself on drives to the cup and contorting his body around defenders. Jordan Smith tied things immediately coming out of the break with a corner three. But after that, it took over two minutes before the next bucket was scored by either team. Jain potted the next bucket on a fastbreak to give the Falcons their first lead. Poolesville’s aggressive drives weren’t met with much resistance down the stretch — yet, Paint Branch found a way to keep pace. Despite being down 38-30 as the third quarter’s end approached, the Panthers slowly found a way to claw back as time ticked down, hitting multiple free throws. Paint Branch tied the game with four minutes to play, and then cut the score to 42-41 with a clutch and-one bucket with 2:43 left. An extremely timely corner three pushed that advantage to four on the next possession, and that score remained until the final minute. With 15 seconds left, Bobb had some last-second heroics left in him, unleashing a double-covered, fadeaway three that sunk right through the net. But still being down one, Paint Branch was forced to foul. And while Poolesville calmly hit its free throws, Paint Branch ultimately failed to respond, resulting in the loss. Poolesville is next set to take on Clarksburg on Jan 6.
Photo courtesy of @e.goody.photos (Instagram). After falling by two points to Magruder and putting an end to its unbeaten start to the campaign, Blake — the presumptive state title frontrunners — needed a response. The opportunity in front of it came in the form of then-undefeated Paint Branch. The Bengals pounced on it, ultimately taking the Panthers in a four-quarter, comprehensive showdown, 79-65. It was Eli Konkler who got the Bengals started, hitting a midrange jumper and a 3-pointer in response to Kahlil Fountain’s deep-range shots. Konkler was Blake’s engine during the first frame, helping his team open up a four-point lead through his lane-driving acrobatics and physicality. The Bengals interior size and leaping ability allowed them to garner an advantage on the offensive glass — Abder Ouattara found room for a layup early while being hounded by two Paint Branch defenders. But that added emphasis in the paint only created more opportunities for Blake outside the arc — and the likes of Konkler and Christian Kennard didn’t miss much. Once Blake got some buckets on the fast break in the second period of play, the Bengals increased their lead even further. A Konkler fast-break layup with seven minutes until half put Blake up 26-17. Paint Branch had virtually no answers for the remainder of the half, as a Konkler 3-pointer on Blake’s next offensive possession began to demoralize the Panthers’ efforts. A layup from the guard minutes later — once again on a fast break — put the Bengals up by 12, forcing Paint Branch to call timeout. From there, Blake went on a 13-10 run to end the half, putting it up 45-30 with 16 minutes still to play. But those 16 minutes didn’t end up working in Paint Branch’s favor, as it was hardly able to make inroads or cut into Blake’s deficit with any substantial run. Ryan Bobb, who hit a three with time expiring in the first half, was able to get off and sink some really quick-release downtown shots. But his efforts still couldn’t make a dent in Blake’s advantage. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bengals led by 17, and the contest was essentially all but over. A deep Bobb 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining cut Blake’s lead down to nine points, but that was as close as the Panthers found themselves late Friday night. Next up on the docket, Blake is set to take on Westtown on Dec. 29.
🏀🏀Wootton Patriots vs Laurel Spartans NIT Tourney at AACS Game Highlights The thrilling Wootton vs Laurel NIT Game highlights are presented, showcasing the best plays and moments of intense competition. This video provides an exciting look into the game for fans of both teams and those interested in high school basketball in the area Final Score: PATRIOTS - 70 SPARTANS - 43 👀 MFV U📺🔗⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgrL3c0nTfc
After 45 years, the Laurel Spartans are back on top, taking home the Boys 4A state title! 🏆💍
A 26 point second quarter for Laurel leads to them doubling up Whitman at halftime!
Whitman got off to a great start, but hot shooting by Laurel led to a 12-2 run that has the Spartans up 4 to start the second.
🏀🏀 ROAD TO COLLEGE PARK MPSSAA 4A BOYS STATE SEMIFINAL Meade vs Laurel One of the most difficult games to cover when you have a heartfelt admiration for BOTH schools. Meade and Laurel have been places that have opened the door for MFV when they truly didn’t have to. Both of these schools have a mutual respect for one another, as some have played together as teammates outside of HS. So this was a WIN and LOSE situation. Game must happen. As expected, both came out firing. Big threes, and dunks; these guys stayed neck & neck the whole game. It appeared not all the calls were getting noticed, however we know refereeing is no easy task. Meade and Laurel kept their composure. In the end, Meade’s foul trouble enabled Laurel to establish a spread in the last minutes. If not, we’d a been looking at another semifinal overtime. BIG LOVE & RESPECT to my dawgs, the MEADE MUSTANGS. So proud of you guys, and your future success is coming. Thank you for always being courteous to MillerFlow. To my dawgs, LAUREL SPARTANS, CONGRATULATIONS on making it to STATES. Y’all are AWESOME. Thankful for the day you encouraged MFV to cross county lines to witness the greatness of Prince George’s County athletics. OHHHH YEAHHHHH, go get that SHIP. MUCH THANKS to host WISE, A+ service and treatment. Loved the order, hospitality and respect you and your staff displayed. Enjoy these highlights Final Score: MUSTANGS - 52 SPARTANS - 64 👀 MFV U📺🔗⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhIudA0PD4k
🏀🏀 MPSSAA 4A BOYS STATE QUARTERFINAL Here are highlights from varsity boys 4A State Quarterfinal matchup between the Mervo Mustangs & Laurel Spartans. Game had a lot of high flying energy. Mustangs came out hitting some big threes while playing that good ole scrappy Bmore basketball. Laurel faced with a huge challenge, moved at a quick pace adding some quick scores to establish a good first half lead. However, Mustangs ,made a strong 3rd period comeback and went ahead by as much as 5 points I think. Game became super intense as Laurel would comeback and gain the victory in the 4th. I loved all the effort BOTH teams put in. BIG SHOUTS to the MERVO MUSTANGS, much respect. CONGRATS to the LAUREL SPARTANS. Enjoy the victory, but it’s on to the next!!!! Thank you Laurel HS for the hospitality and allowing us to film. Final Score: MUSTANGS - 62 SPARTANS - 74 👀 MFV U📺🔗⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNLsmn-gxzI
Springbrook Boys take their victory in the Regional semifinals with a score of 62 to 58