Sports
Boys Basketball: Pikesville Gets Revenge on Sparrows Point
Coach Dorsey: Team has a lot of momentum now. Panthers edge Pointers in the first round of the Class 1A North playoffs and advance to face New Town in the regional quarterfinals.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Pikesville High School junior Yazid Trice sat on the bench, clapping his hands and nodding his head in jubilation.
The Panthers, who had been so eager to avenge a narrow loss to Sparrows Point during the regular season, had done just that Friday night, pulling away from the Pointers for a convincing 70-47 victory in the first round of the Class 1A North playoffs.
After trailing 20-18 at halftime, Pikesville outscored Sparrows Point 52-27 in the second half.
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On Feb. 2, the Pointers beat the Panthers, 54-52.
“It’s a great feeling,” Pikesville coach Anthony Dorsey said after the game. “You just don’t know how happy I am right now, especially with the way we won. It feels great and the guys are elated right now.”
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Not only did the Panthers limit Sparrows Point defensively, but they were also extremely efficient on the offensive end, especially during the second half, when they connected on 13 of their 20 (65 percent) shot attempts.
The Pointers, meanwhile, shot only 35 percent (17-of-48) as a team and coughed 28 turnovers, including 17 in the second half.
Jamelle Christian (17 points), Jared Kurlander (17), Ethan Thompson (14) and Jordan Brown (14) combined for 62 of Pikesville’s 70 points, which represented the Panthers’ largest scoring output of the season.
Christian’s 3-pointer midway through the third quarter sparked a 12-2 Panthers run to close the quarter after Sparrows Point had tied the game at 31.
And after the Pointers trimmed their deficit to 48-41 early in the fourth quarter, Pikesville closed the game on a 22-8 run.
“We got scrappy and played hard during the second half,” Christian said. “Everybody was extremely happy to pull it out. It was a great moment in the locker room [after the game]. Now we’re going to go into New Town [Monday], go hard and try to get that win too.”
The Panthers travel to face New Town Monday in the Class 1A North quarterfinals. The Titans defeated Pikesville, 73-52, Jan. 21, but Dorsey is optimistic the momentum from Friday’s victory will carry over to Monday.
“I think we have a lot of momentum now,” Dorsey said. “I’m ready for Monday.”