Monocacy's varsity and the Windsor Knolls jayvees had all the answers in the finals of the 30th annual conference championship tournament.
The Mustangs jumped to an early five-point lead and never trailed, answering one Windsor Knolls charge after another in upsetting the top-seeded Hawks 44-41 for the 2001-02 varsity crown.
Monocacy, entering the tournament as sixth-seed at 15-7, iced a run of four straight tournament wins when Matt Foley hit the front end of a one-and-one with 13 seconds left and Patrick Uthe converted the missed second attempt for a 43-37 lead.
It was one of three key put-backs by Uthe who was named the varsity tournament's "Most Outstanding Player" for his efforts on the offensive and defensive glass.
The underdog 'Stangs built leads in every quarter - 7-2 in the first, 16-10 in the second and 21-16 in the third - with slicing moves to the bucket by Isaiah Martin (12 points) and the accurate outside shooting of Brad Betson (12 points). Each time, the Hawks responded, cutting the first-period advantage to 9-8, knotting the score at 16 at the half on two Steve Anderson field goals and an assist on a third, then tying it at 23-all in the third when Greg Price nailed a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining.
Monocacy responded to each challenge, however, and regained the lead each time. Tied at 23, Uthe's board work ignited a decisive 16-10 run as Martin's breakaway lay-in with 1:30 remaining made it 39-33.
Uthe and Foley finished with six points each and Deke Gaeng added four for the Mustangs. Jordan Snowden had a team-high 13 points and Anderson eight for the Hawks.
Who was the better of CMC jayvee co-champion (23-1) Windsor Knolls and Ballenger Creek? After a regular season split, the Hawks answered that question with a 44-34 victory in the jayvee finals.
After allowing a lay-up off the opening tip, Windsor Knolls never trailed again as they built leads of 10 points in the first half and 11 in the second.
Two threes by Mike Jarboe gave the Hawks a 12-6 lead after one period and they extended it to 20-10 midway through the second. Ballenger came roaring back, however, and Daniel Shannon's trey with six seconds left in the half cut the margin to 22-19.
It was 29-21 after three and BC got no closer than five points in the final frame as Windsor Knolls stretched it to 36-25 with 3:30 remaining and used clutch free throw shooting by Mike Hall (8-of-11) to ice the win.
Jayvee tournament "Most Outstanding Player" Danny Mulhern of Windsor Knolls had a game-high 14 points and limited Ballenger's Luis Machado to just six points. Hall and Jarboe finished with 12 apiece. Mike Mullikin and Zack Kebetz also played well for the Hawks.
Dante Stansbury paced the Bulldog attack with 11 points.
Windsor Knolls advanced both of it's #1 seeded teams to the championship round with semifinal victories.
The varsity Hawks hit 8-of-10 free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away from a 23-23 tie and register a 41-33 decision. Matt Urie had 15 points to lead the Hawks while Steven Anderson netted 10 points. Malcolm Kattes had 13 points to pace the Cadets.
Isaiah Martin had 14 points and Brad Betson 11 to lead Monocacy past Middletown and into the finals. The game was close throughout with Monocacy leading 27-21 at the half and 37-35 after three quarters. Tyler Moser led the Knights with 12 points and Alex Carr connected for eight.
Windsor Knoll's jayvees raced to a 28-14 halftime lead in the jayvee game and continued to play outstanding defense in the second half in defeating TJ 51-26. The defense limited TJ's outstanding Brandon Roscoe to just four points. The Hawks were paced by Mike Jarboe with 16 points, Mike Hall with 13 and Mike Mullikin with eight. TJ was led by Artez Smallwood with eight points.
Ballenger Creek also reached the jayvee final with a 44-30 triumph over West Frederick. Luis Machado led the winners with 19 points while Daniel Shannon added seven. Josh Nixon had 13 points to lead all Cadet scorers.
Upsets were the order of the day in the varsity quarterfinal round as top-seeded Windsor Knolls was the only one of the top four seeds to survive.
Matt Urie tossed in 16 points to lead varsity top-seed Windsor Knolls to a 40-21 triumph over Poolesville. Brandon Moore collected 10 points for the Indians.
Seventh-seeded Middletown shocked #2 TJ 49-22 as Patrick Carney chalked up 18 points and Tyler Moser added 16. Brett Bonneville was held to a team-high 10 points for the Patriots.
Monocacy took control in the second half and upset Ballenger Creek 48-40. The Mustangs, who trailed by one point at intermission, were led by Isaiah Martin with 17 points and Brad Betson with 11 (including three three-pointers). Top scorers for Ballenger Creek were Kevin Henry and Danny Reed (three treys) with nine each.
West Frederick turned a 22-16 halftime deficit into a 45-39 victory against Linganore. Malcolm Kattes had 14 points while Brandon Giles netted 13 points and added 10 assists for the winners. Jon Sweadner totalled 16 points to lead the Lancers.
Jayvee action went more according to seeding.
Windsor Knolls raced to a 21-2 first-quarter lead and downed MSD 44-18. The Hawks were paced by Mike Jarboe with 15 points, Zack Kebetz with nine and Danny Mulhern with eight. MSD was led by Daniel Fava with seven points.
Luis Machado netted 21 points and Dante Stansbury added 10 to lead Ballenger Creek past Poolesville 53-27. Daniel Shannon added eight points and Erich Muehl seven for the Bulldogs. Jason Kramek had three treys for a team-high nine points for the Indians.
Travon Vann won a scoring duel with Gideon Obamwonyi by one point and the game followed suit as West Frederick's jayvees nipped Monocacy 41-40. Vann netted 20 points for the Cadets and Obamwonyi had 19 for the Mustangs, who led 12-4 after one quarter. Chris Thompson added 12 points for the winners. Jason Kremers contributed 10 points for Monocacy.
TJ overcame a 23-19 halftime deficit to defeat Linganore 23-19. The Patriots outscored the Lancers 16-6 in the third to take control. Artez Smallwood had 22 points, followed by Brandon Rascoe with 18 points and 10 rebounds for TJ. Guy Barnes played excellent defense. The Lancers were led by Philip Monteau with 15 points and Andrew Rhoads chipped in 12.
West Frederick placed five players in double figures in defeating Catoctin 70-26. Jerame Duvall led the parade with 17 points while Danny Toft netted 13, Malcolm Kattes 12, Brandon Giles 11 and Thomas Gillmore 10. Jacob Yocum led Catoctin with 11 points.
Monocacy took a 24-9 lead into halftime, but St. John's came back strong in the second half before the Mustangs prevailed 49-31. Eleven players scored for Monocacy, led by Albert Leech's eight points. For St. John's, Paul Crone had 12 points and Job Merkel six.
Middletown outscored Walkersville 25-7 in the second half for a 42-22 victory. Pat Carney led the Knights with 11 points while Paul Pfau came off the bench to contribute eight. Nick DeCarlo had five points for the Lions.
Down by six, 34-28 in the third quarter, Poolesville rallied to upend Brunswick 48-44 in overtime. Brandon Moore led Poolesville with 11 points and Zach Stowers contributed 10. Tyler Bierly scored seven of his 10 points in overtime for the winners. Willie Bodmer also played well defensively and scored six points for the Indians. Brunswick was led by Eric Zwilsky and Chris Recker with 12 points each. Chris Papanicolas contributed eight points for the Railroaders.
Vinnie Weaver and Andrew Rhoads combined for 30 points to lead Linganore to a 40-22 win against Brunswick. Weaver tallied 19 points and Rhoads added 11. Grant Wilson nailed 11 points for the Railroaders.
Monocacy just got past upset-minded Walkersville 25-24. Gideon Obamwamyi had six points, Scott Gilson and Tim Snyder five each for the Mustangs. Chad Benford had eight points for Walkersville.
MSD rode a 19-point second period to a 28-14 halftime lead and defeated Catoctin 52-39. Scott Lehmann poured in 25 points and Kevin Berrigan contributed 18 for the winners. Josh Chmelik paced the Cougars with 19 points.
Poolesville downed Middletown 27-20 in the other quarterfinal. No additional details were made available.
Grant Wilson controlled play with 24 points to lead Brunswick to a 43-34 jayvee play-in victory in the tournament opener. The Railroaders took a 14-9 lead in the first quarter and were in command most of the way. Matt Stephey had 16 points to complete an excellent year for the Vikings.
Linganore's varsity moved into the 4th seed and gained a first-round tournament bye with a 54-40 win against Monocacy. Michael Herrod had 15 points to lead the Lancers while Deke Gaeng had nine for the Mustangs.
The Lancers also advanced on the jayvee level, earning a 5th seed with a 31-15 decision. Philip Monteau and Robert Bennett netted eight points each for the winners. Gideon Obamwonyi led the Mustangs with nine points.
Brunswick's varsity came from five points down after three quarters to nip Poolesville 40-39. Chris Papanicolas had 12 points and Robert Mullinix 10 for the Railroaders. Zach Stowers had a game-high 14 points and Brandon Moore chipped in with 14 for Poolesville.
Poolesville used a 15-1 burst in the second quarter to win the jayvee game 38-31. For Poolesville, Kyle Dickerson collected 12 points while Grant Wilson had 13 in a losing cause.
Middletown's varsity ran out to a 28-10 lead and had to fight off St. John's down the stretch for a 37-32 victory. Colin Donavan had 14 points for Middletown, Job Merkel a game-high 16 for St. John's.
The Knights came back from a three-point halftime deficit to take the jayvee contest 37-33. Joe Blaser hit four key free throws in the last minute to seal the victory. Middletown was led by Patrick McCarrick with 14 points and Josh Meikrantz with 10. Tyler Ausherman also had an excellent game passing from the high post. St. John's was led Matt Stephey with 18 points.
Windsor Knolls capped a 23-1 jayvee regular season and became co-champions of the CMC by defeating West Frederick 47-40. Mike Hall had 17 points and Zack Kebetz had an outstanding game with 15 for the winners. A determined West Frederick club was led by Travon Vann with 17 points.
Steven Anderson came up with a steal and layup with 11 seconds left in overtime to give the varsity Hawks a hard-fought 53-51 win. West Frederick led 23-13 at the half and by three with two seconds left in regulation when Tim Mackey hit a three-pointer to tie it after two missed Cadet free throws. Anderson finished with 18 points and Greg Price offered 12 for WK. Jerame Duvall and Malcolm Kattes had 17 and 16 points, respectively, for West Frederick.
Paul Rhoads' 15 points sparked a 51-35 win by Linganore's varsity against Brunswick. Aaron Main netted 13 for the Railroaders.
Linganore also won they jayvee game 38-28 with Vinnie Weaver accounting for 12 points and Tim Fleming adding nine in a strong effort. For Brunswick, Grant Wilson tallied 14 points.
Monocacy picked up a 37-30 varsity win against Poolesville as Brad Betson had nine points and Patrick Uthe six. Top Scorer for Poolesville was Brandon Moore with 15 points. Monocacy led at the half by just one, 15-14.
The jayvee Mustangs also won by seven, 28-21, with Gideon Obamyami totalling 10 points and Jason Kremers seven. Tony Cain had nine points and Jay Lowe five for the Indians.
St. John's varsity beat Catoctin 47-34. Paul Crone led the Vikings in scoring with 13 points while Bart Sapp scored 12. Catoctin was led by Ben Rose with a game-high 16 points. Jake Yocum added eight for the Cougars.
Catoctin won the jayvee contest 31-28 as Derek Woelfel's 15 points led the way. Matt Stephey lead St John's, netting 11 points.
Ballenger Creek finished it's regular season at 23-1 and clinched at least a tie for the CMC championship with a 48-39 win over Middletown. Randal Smedley and Erich Muehl had 12 points each for the victors while Luis Machado added 11 points. Josh Meikrantz tossed in 20 points for Middletown.
The Bulldogs' varsity outscored Middletown 16-6 in the first quarter and held on in a defensive battle to win 32-20. Ballenger was led by Kevin Henry with 13 points. Tyler Moser had six points for Middletown.
In a game tied 20-20 after three quarters, MSD finished strong with a 13-4 run in the fourth period to defeat St. John's 33-24. Scott Lehmann tallied 15 points and Kevin Berrigan contributed 11 for the Orioles. Matt Stephey paced the Vikings with 11 points.
In an well-played game defensively, TJ prevailed over Walkersville's varsity 45-35. Brett Bonneville led TJ with 18 points. The Lions got points from Nick DeCarlo while Joe Reilly chipping in with six points.
Brandon Rascoe netted 22 points and brother Sean added 14 as TJ won the jayvee game 55-24. Artez Smallwood also had 13 points for the winners. Ryan Dawson led the Lions with eight points while Eric Kemerer had seven points and did a good job on the boards.
Jonathan Nusbaum had 18 points to lead Walkersville over MSD. The Lions led 29-15 at the half. Scott Lehmann led the Orioles with 17 points and Kevin Berrigan netted 11.
Middletown put a long-awaited end to the MVAL varsity race with a 38-25 victory over Poolesville. Tyler Moser and Patrick Carney had 10 points each for Middletown. Brandon Moore had 11 markers for Poolesville.
Poolesville sewed up the MVAL jayvee crown with it's 44-38 overtime win against the Knights. Middletown came from behind to tie the game at 38-38 in regulation. Jay Lowe netted 16 points and Matt Ray added 10 for the winners. Patrick McCarrick and Paul Smith had 13 each for Middletown.
West Frederick's varsity darted to a 16-4 lead after one quarter and went on to defeat Brunswick 57-37. Malcolm Kattes connected for 22 points for the Cadets while Jerame Duvall contributed 12 points and Brandon Giles 10. Robert Mullinix led the Railroaders with 12 points.
The Cadets also won the jayvee game, using a 10-2 run in the second quarter to mount a 40-29 decision. Josh Nixon and Steven Custis had 16 and 10 points, respectively, for West Frederick. Grant Wilson paced Brunswick with 11 points.
TJ overcame a stellar St. John's performance for a 46-44 varsity triumph. TJ got double-digit scoring from Ryan Toomey with 13 points and Brett Bonneville with 10. St. John's was led by Paul Crone with 13 points and Bart Sapp connected for 12.
The Pats won the jayvee game 42-18. Brandon Rascoe led TJ with 11 points and Stefan Omelchenko had five points for St. John's.
Malcolm Kattes and Danny Toft combined for 42 points as West Frederick's varsity downed Catoctin 66-31. Kattes had 22 points and Toft offered up 20. Ben Rose had 14 points to lead the Cougars and Corey Myers added 10 points.
West Frederick took a 17-7 lead in a low-scoring first half and went on to take the jayvee contest 36-23. Travon Vann had 16 points for the winners and Steven Custis chipped in with 10. Derek Woelfel paced the Cougars with nine points.
Justin McLeod led a parade of 10 Monocacy scorers with eight points, including two three-pointers, as the Mustangs defeated St. John's 44-31. Top scorer for St. John's Paul Crone with 12 points. Barton Sapp added eight points and Andrew Murphy netted two three-pointers for six points.
Monocacy also won the jayvee game 42-27 as Gideon Obamwony tallied nine points, Brandon Kuehl had eight and Jason Kremers seven. For St. John's, Matt Stephey scored 12 points and John O'Donoghue added seven.
WINDSOR KNOLLS PLACES PAIR IN TOURNEY FINALS; BALLENGER, MONOCACY JOIN THEM - 03/10/02
VARSITY UPSETS ABOUND IN TOURNAMENT QUARTERS - 03/09/02
VARSITY TEAMS ADVANCE FOUR TO TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINALS - 03/07/02
FOUR ADVANCE TO JAYVEE TOURNAMENT "ELITE EIGHT" - 03/06/02
BRUNSWICK JAYVEES ADVANCE WITH PLAY-IN WIN - 03/05/02
LINGANORE MOVES UP WITH SWEEP OF MONOCACY - 03/03/02
WINDSOR KNOLLS JAYVEES NAB SHARE OF CMC TITLE - 03/02/02
BALLENGER JAYVEES SEW UP SHARE OF CMC, MSD WINS FINALE - 02/28/02
TJ TAKES PAIR FROM LIONS - 02/27/02
NUSBAUM LEADS LIONS PAST MSD - 02/25/02
MIDDLETOWN VARSITY, POOLESVILLE JAYVEES CLINCH MVAL TITLES - 02/24/02
WEST FREDERICK, MONOCACY WIN PAIR - 02/23/02
2002 Wrapups Continued