TAKOMA ACADEMY VS GOOD COUNSEL:
Good Counsel began to push the tempo and were converting on all of their shots early in the game. Takoma began to stifle this momentum by getting to the free throw line and slowing down the pace of the game. Takoma Academy guard Tyler Stephens began to knock down some key three pointers in the first half to keep them in the game. With some great defensive plays Takoma Academy went up by two to close the first half. The second half started and Takoma began to expand the lead on Good Counsel to eight with ten minutes to go. Good Counsel forward Israel Tchoubfong began to shave the lead down with his tenacity on the defensive end along with his ability to score at will. At the six minute mark, Takoma Academy led by one and the intensity from this point on increased drastically. Both teams started to fall and dive on the floor for any opportunity to score. The defense in this game was so intense that every bucket had so much value. No one scored for a whole two minutes until Tchoubfong’s putback layup that gave Good Counsel a one point lead. After Tyler Stephens got a steal and layup off a Good Counsel inbound he received a tech that gave Good counsel two free throws to now give them a one point lead. Takoma’s all-star guard Micah Samuels hit a clutch layup to tie the game up with less than two minutes remaining. With less than a minute remaining Takoma Academy guard Jalen Goffe hit a super clutch three that gave Takoma a three point lead with 30 seconds remaining. Good Counsel got a quick two on the other end to get the lead to one. With ten seconds to go guard Tyson Saunders would have a one and one opportunity but would miss the free throw. Good Counsel would have a chance to rebound but unfortunately tip the ball out giving it back to Takoma. Tyler Stephens would get the second one and one opportunity which he would also miss. Good Counsel guard Kyle Logan would get a clean look at a pull up three but graze the front of the rim. Takoma wins a playoff thriller 56-55 over Good Counsel. They will advance and play CG Woodson in the next round.
MUSTANGS(MEADE) VS MCNAMARA
The second game of the day would start off really interestings. The Mustangs game plan to start the game was to face guard McNamara’s 4 star guard Qayden Samuels and try to eliminate him out of the game. This would start to work in the Mustangs favor as they would hold an eight point lead with just under five minutes to play in the first half. McNamara would call a timeout to regather themselves and it would pay off. They would go on a run to end the first half and go into the break up one. The second half would start and Meade would lock in on both the offensive and defensive end. They would push the lead to six with less than 10 minutes remaining. Turnover after turnover kept piling up for both teams as no one could really get into an offensive rhythm mostly because of the defense from both sides. With less than four minutes left the Mustangs held a 4 point lead and were looking to close. McNamara guard Prince Moody hit a tough turnaround jumper to bring it within one but Meade was quick to get a bucket before the defense was set on the other end to expand the lead to three. Qayden Samuels would then get a transition layup off a stop to bring it back to one. With less than a minute left number 14 would get fouled on a lob attempt but miss both free throws for the chance to take the lead. Meade forward Lucaya Baldridge would get the ball in transition and throw it down to give the Mustangs a three point lead. With 20 seconds left McNamara would have an opportunity to tie the game on a Prince Moody three but it wouldn’t fall for Mcnamara. The Mustangs would take an impressive win over McNamara 57-54 and advance to play DeMatha in the next round.
TENLEY TIGERS(Jackson Reed) vs South County
The third game of the day featured the reigning CHSL champions in Jackson Reed. Looking to repeat, the Tigers are ready to make an attempt at back to back titles. This contest vs South County started off very low scoring as both teams were struggling to put the ball in the basket. Forced turnovers and contested jump shots was the story for the first couple minutes of the half. With seven minutes to go in the first half Jackson Reed began to show why they are the reigning champs. Some great display of outside shooting and finishing at the cup pushed the lead to nine with just over four minutes left in the first half. The forward tandem of Jayden Fort and JJ Massaqoi would push the lead to thirteen to end the half on tough finishes at the rim. The second half began and an absolute massacre began to happen. Jackson Reed would completely destroy South County. They would score 40 points in ten minutes and completely neutralize South County’s offense. Every player on Jackson Reed put in production tonight and was an all around team effort. The Tenley Tigers would win the contest in demoralizing fashion 88-35. They will play Potomac School in the next round.
LANHAM CHRISTIAN VS SPRING MILLS
The last game of the day was set up to be a good one between two balanced teams going head to head. The game started off a bit difficult for both teams. Neither squad was able to get into an offensive groove and were missing some very makeable shots. However, same as the last game, the offense started to pick up. This time it wasn’t just for one team but for both units. Lanham and Spring Mills began to knock down the good looks they were getting and taking advantage of late rotations. At the five minute mark spring mills began to show out and display some serious shot making. With multiple deep threes and finishes around the basket they would lead Lanham Christian by 13 with just over two minutes left in the first half. They would continue to extend the lead and end the half up by fifteen. Lanham Christian was furious after the half and you could tell by their play to start the second that they weren’t trying to go back to that play. They came out of halftime swinging, closing the gap to four with just twelve minutes remaining. Lanham guard Diego Joy finished with a tough layup to tie the game at 36 a piece with just under ten minutes left. Spring Mills was forced to call a timeout as Lanham Christian was currently on a 22-3 run which expanded their lead to four with under eight minutes left in the ball game. Spring Mills would eventually put a halt on this run and go on one themselves pushing their lead back to five with some key three pointers from 6 ‘2 guard Tyler Jones. With just above two minutes left in the game Lanham Christian wing Jordan Houchins would knock down one free throw to tie the game at 49. They would then get a steal and an easy transition layup to go up by one with just above a minute left until Spring Mills point guard number 2 finished with a tough floater to tie it back up. Lanham guard Jamar Payne would get fouled on the outside and have a one and one opportunity where he hit the first free throw to go up one. Then forward Loakkhae Uth-Smith of Spring Mills would have an opportunity at a one and one at the free throw line with nine seconds remaining where he hit both clutch free throws. Lanham had an opportunity to win the game at the last second but turned it over on a baseline pass and Spring Mills came up with the win 53-52. They will play Spalding in their next round game.