UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – The Stephen Decatur Seahawks came into this 3A matchup as the number one seed and 22-2 on the year, against the fourth seeded Spartans of St. Charles who’s sitting at 21-5 on the season. The Seahawks came off of a comfortable 63-43 victory over Linganore in the 3A East Region Finals while the Spartans squeaked by Thomas S. Wooten 63-60.
The Spartans took a 6-0 lead to start the game off before Stephen Decatur would close the gap with their own five to nothing run. From tip off, the game was very physical, as the Seahawks would find themselves in foul trouble early on. Careen Bolden, in particular, would be forced to sit after two foul calls including one that would put the Spartans in the bonus, sending them to the line.
However, Stephen Decatur would take the lead and try to create some distance with a 19-14 lead following a Brycen Coleman buzzer beater. Davin Chandler and Bolden would end the first quarter with six points each. On the other side, Shamir Taylor led the way with six of his own.
Now we head to the second quarter where St. Charles would close the gap with a run of their own, taking the lead 20-19 off of a Tajir Webster layup. Chandler would respond with a three pointer of his own, starting a back and forth between both squads. Decatur struggled to rebound in this quarter allowing plenty of second chance opportunities for the Spartans.
The Seahawks also had crucial players in foul trouble at the end of the half with Chandler having two, Bolden having three, and Coleman with two of his own. While on the other end the Spartans would struggle at the charity stripe going 3/9 from the line. The quarter ended with a 31-31 tie.
Into the third quarter we go, and things slow down tremendously. Both teams struggle to score for the majority of the quarter. Then we see Bolden, taking the game into his hands, scoring half of his teams’ third quarter points with eight. This is where Coleman would do the little things to ensure his team’s success, grabbing rebounds, making putbacks, earning a steal and taking a crucial charge late in the quarter. We head into the fourth quarter with Decatur leading 47-41.
The fourth quarter is where the battle would happen, as Shamir Taylor got the scoring going for the Spartans. He would score 11 of his 29 points in the fourth. Whenever Bolden or Chandler would score to either tie or take the lead, Taylor would respond with a bucket of his own, knocking down a three pointer and a floater. Then Chandler would foul out of the game contesting a three pointer from Taylor. This would be detrimental to the Seahawks, as their leading scorer up to that point would be unable to play for the rest of the matchup. Not only that, the Spartans’ best Free Throw shooter was heading to the line, and of course, he made all three.
Trybe Wise would head back down the court and knock down a three to tie things at 56 a-piece. Trying to force a turnover, Decatur would set a trap, and St. Charles would break the defense, freeing up Webster for the thunderous one handed slam, giving the Spartans the lead.
Careen would go back down the court to take things into his own hands and miss, but Coleman would get the tip in on the putback. A couple made free throws later and the Spartans would take the lead 60-58.
The Spartans got a key stop with less than a minute to go in the game. After running the clock down, Brogan Eastlack would foul Taylor in a pivotal moment as the Spartans were already in the bonus and there was plenty of time between the shot and game clock. The Spartans would make this a four point game at the charity stripe.
Careen would take the ball up court and score, cutting the lead to two. One final chance for the Seahawks to make a game saving play with 0.9 seconds left following two missed Free Throws from St. Charles.
Decatur would be unable to field the ball and their season would end with a 63-61 loss in the State Semifinals to St. Charles. The Spartans will play at College Park while the Seahawks’ season ends in heartbreak.