Girls basketball playoffs: Lackey shuts down Williamsport in 2A state semis
Wednesday, March 8
2A state semifinals
Lackey 38, Williamsport 32
The Wildcats' playoff run ended at the hands of the Chargers (21-5) and their tenacious defense at Paint Branch High School.
It's the second straight year in which the Wildcats (24-3) reached the state semifinals before bowing out of the tournament.
Lackey held Williamsport's star senior, Paige Smith, to seven points, and scratched out enough offense of its own against the Wildcats' defense to come away with a victory and a spot in Saturday's state final.
"I thought we played well in spurts, but their length (on defense) bothered us at times," said Williamsport head coach Kevin Murphy. "As we always do, we battled to the end. We've been down against good teams before and come back."
Kam Seltzer led Williamsport with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Emerson Shank added seven points, all in the first half. Six of Smith's seven points came in the fourth quarter and she added three assists in the game. Point guard Amelia Robins had seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
"Twenty-four wins is a school record," Murphy said. "That's pretty impressive even though we didn't win a state championship."
Nadeya Regala led Lackey with 13 points and 6-foot-3 Kennedy Hall added 11 points. Both are sophomores.
Regala hit a pair of 3-pointers and Andrea Harley added her own 3 to give the Chargers a 9-2 lead early.
"We knew they could shoot the 3-ball and they made a couple early," Murphy said. "We tried to weather the storm. They didn't have the start they wanted, but they battled."
Trailing 15-9 early in the second quarter, Shank scored five points and Mackenzie Kloos added a basket in a 7-0 run that gave Williamsport its only lead of the game, 16-15, late in the second quarter. Hall answered with a 3 and Lackey led 20-18 at halftime.
The Chargers used a 7-0 run over the final 2:30 of the third quarter to build a 31-22 lead.
Baskets by Smith and Seltzer pulled the Wildcats within 33-28 with 3:53 left in the game, and Smith made a jumper in the lane to get Williamsport within five again at 37-32 with 2:03 left.
That was the last time the Wildcats scored. Smith and Seltzer each got a good look inside down the stretch, but neither shot went in. Williamsport also missed a pair of 3-point tries late.
Lackey made just 3 of 10 foul shots in the fourth quarter but managed to hold on.
Friday, March 3
2A state quarterfinals
Williamsport 65, Gwynn Park 33
Back in the state final four for the second straight year, the Wildcats finally are ready to start talking about a possible title.
“It’s one step at a time, and the great thing is we never once talked about a region championship or a state championship in the locker room,” Williamsport coach Kevin Murphy said. “We just talked about getting better every single day.
“Tonight, we talked about it for the first time. I told the kids, ‘Look, let’s try to win two more.’”
The No. 2-seeded Wildcats (24-2) will face No. 3 Lackey in the semifinals either Tuesday or Wednesday at a site to be determined.
“I just know they’re really good and have had a really good season,” Murphy said of Lackey. “They’ll be another challenge for us, probably the best team we’ve played all year.”
On Friday, Paige Smith scored a game-high 29 points and the Wildcats pulled away from the visiting Yellow Jackets in the second half, turning a close game into a rout.
Williamsport, which led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter and 26-19 at halftime, opened the second half on a 12-2 run to take control with a 38-21 advantage.
“It was definitely a close game. Both teams came out with a lot of energy,” Smith said. “But our team, as a whole, was deeper and our coach just kept throwing bodies at the other team.
“Being at home with all of our fans in the student section was really big,” she added. “That was definitely a huge part of it.”
Ten different players scored for the Wildcats.
“People think that it’s just Paige,” Murphy said. “No, we go nine to 10 deep a lot of games, and that eventually wore them out.”
Ellie Levasseur had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists for Williamsport, while Amelia Robins had seven steals, six assists and five rebounds. Kam Seltzer added six points and five rebounds, and Emerson Shank had a team-high six boards.
Janese Harper led Gwynn Park with nine points.
“The fundamental stuff that our kids do — the boxing out, the little details, making the extra pass, the shot fakes — those things all were huge for us tonight,” Murphy said.
Last year, the Wildcats lost 50-41 to Fallston in the state semifinals.
“Last year’s team did a great job in the playoffs, but it was almost like we felt pretty good about how far we got,” Murphy said. “I thought we could have done a little extra and taken an extra step. It was almost like we were a little bit satisfied last year.
“I told these kids, ‘Be hungry to win two more games.’”
1A state quarterfinals
Forest Park 50, Boonsboro 16
The eighth-seeded Warriors (8-16), making their first-ever appearance in the state tournament, were eliminated by the top-seeded and host Foresters (19-3) in Baltimore.
Boonsboro never got much going offensively against a Forest Park squad with size in the frontcourt to challenge shots, and quickness in the backcourt to pester the Warriors' ball handlers. Boonsboro trailed 11-2 after the first quarter, 20-6 at halftime and 31-10 after three periods.
Chaniya Taylor, a junior 6-foot-1 center, led Forest Park with 16 points. Aliyah Carroll, a junior 5-foot-10 wing, scored nine of her 11 points in the second half.
Wednesday, March 1
1A West Region II final
Boonsboro 35, Catoctin 32
On a night when they were underdogs on the road, having lost twice earlier this season against the region’s top seed, the second-seeded Warriors (8-15) played like warriors and stunned the Cougars (18-6) to win the first region title in program history.
Boonsboro did it primarily with defense, rebounding and endless hustle and grit. The Warriors beat Catoctin — a state finalist a year ago — by playing a physical brand of basketball the Cougars struggled against for the final three quarters after building a 10-2 lead in the opening period.
“We wanted to go after everything, and they went after everything — loose balls, rebounds. They rebounded the best they have all season,” said Warriors head coach Buck Waters. “They wanted to be in this environment.”
Boonsboro will make its first-ever appearance in the state tournament when the Warriors, seeded eighth, travel to face top-seeded Forest Park in the Class 1A quarterfinals Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
“We’ve been talking playoffs the last couple of weeks and this has been coming,” said Waters. “They are believing in what we are doing and it’s been showing on the court.”
The Warriors cut their early eight-point deficit to one late in the second quarter and trailed 14-11 at the half. Boonsboro took its first lead of the game on Mackenzie Kidwell’s only basket of the contest, a 3-pointer that made it 17-16 with 4:40 left in the third quarter.
The Warriors made three more huge 3s in the half – one by Maya Fravel for a 27-23 lead with a minute left in the third quarter, and a pair by Emily McKevitt in the fourth quarter. McKevitt’s first one gave Boonsboro a 30-24 lead with 6:45 to play, and the other broke a 30-30 tie and made it 33-30 with 3:45 to go.
Brooke Williams made a pair of free throws to bring the Cougars within 33-32. With a chance to take the lead, Grace Williams missed a shot in the lane with 9 seconds left. Haylee Hartman grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made both ends of a 1-and-1 trip to the foul line with 6.5 seconds left.
Kylie Perhach’s 3-point attempt for a tie came up well short at the buzzer, and the Warriors celebrated.
“We stayed true to who we are, and they lived up to the moment,” Waters said.
Fravel, Hartman and Hope Lowe shared team scoring honors with eight points each for Boonsboro.
Brooke Williams led Catoctin with nine points. Perhach and Taylor Smith each added eight points.
2A West Region II final
Williamsport 59, Middletown 50
The Wildcats’ postseason march might be far from over, but coach Kevin Murphy took some time to soak in their latest victory after topping the visiting Knights to repeat as region champions.
“It’s one step at a time, but I’m going to smile on this one,” he said. “The other night after the game was over (a 60-48 semifinal win over Walkersville), they were like, ‘Did you lose the game because you don’t look very happy?’ I knew we had another tough one with Middletown.
“Now, I am going to smile and celebrate with the kids. Being 23-2 is really special. Being back-to-back region champions, in a region that is so tough like ours, is very special. And I don’t want to ever forget that moment and those kids out there and what they did this year and how they just kept getting better and better each week. I’m very pleased. Hopefully we’re not done.”
Williamsport, seeded second for the state tournament, will host seventh-seeded Gwynn Park in the state quarterfinals Friday at 6 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Wildcats again were led by senior Paige Smith, who scored a game-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and three assists.
“It was definitely a good game,” she said. “No one wants to lose in the championship so everyone gave it their all tonight.”
Williamsport took its biggest lead of the game, 22-12, midway through the second quarter and then answered every Middletown run.
“Us jumping out on them first really helped us,” Smith said. “We had a lead almost the whole game.”
After the Knights cut it to 32-31 in the third quarter, the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 burst.
After Middletown tied the game 42-42 with 6:10 left in the game, Williamsport went on a 9-1 run for a 51-43 lead with 3:13 remaining.
Over the final 64 seconds, the Wildcats made 8 of 10 free throws to seal the win.
“Credit Middletown, they made us earn everything,” Murphy said. “It was a battle, which I knew it was going to be. We knew it was never going to be easy. I’m just really proud of our kids for persevering. All those tough games we played this year prepared us for tonight.
“We did some things that we normally don’t do. We missed some free throws, and we had some turnovers we usually don’t commit. That’s just being in a big game, like a region championship against a quality opponent. But credit to our kids, we made enough plays down the stretch and hit the free throws when it mattered. We’re fortunate to get a win.”
Also for Williamsport, Amelia Robins had eight points, five rebounds and three assists, and Kam Seltzer had eight points, four rebounds and two steals.
Alexis Parker led Middletown with 20 points, while Talia Jenkins scored 11.
Monday, Feb. 27
1A West Region II semifinals
Boonsboro 59, Smithsburg 48
Sage Haller scored eight of her 11 points in the final 2:33, helping the second-seeded and host Warriors (7-15) hold off the third-seeded Leopards (7-17).
Boonsboro will travel to top-seeded Catoctin (18-5) for the region final Wednesday, with a spot in the state quarterfinals at stake.
Haller made 1 of 2 free throws with 2:33 left, a pair of free throws with 2:26 to play and two more foul shots with 1:24 left that gave the Warriors a 56-45 lead. Her three-point play with 54.5 seconds left sealed the victory.
“It’s not ironic that she ends up in those spots,” said Boonsboro coach Buck Waters. “With the game on the line, she gets to the line and hits those foul shots — and often she hits nothing but net.”
The Warriors led 29-25 at halftime after Mackenzie Kidwell made a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“We have a lot of faith in her in those moments, at the buzzer at the ends of a quarter or a half,” Waters said. “In those moments she can make magic happen.”
A pair of 3s — the first by Haylee Hartman that made it 41-33 late in the third quarter, the second by Emily McKevitt that made it 44-33 at the start of the fourth — helped the Warriors build the lead.
Maya Fravel led Boonsboro with 15 points, McKevitt had 11 and Hartman finished with nine.
Maddie Kesselring led Smithsburg with 18 points and nine rebounds. Kylie Snyder added nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
2A West Region II semifinals
Williamsport 60, Walkersville 48
Paige Smith hit five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 28 points, leading the No. 1-seeded Wildcats (22-2) past the No. 5 Lions.
Walkersville, which trailed 37-28 at halftime, cut its deficit to 42-39 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Williamsport closed the period on an 8-0 run to take control, up 50-39.
Kam Seltzer had 13 points, four rebounds, four steals and two blocks for the host Wildcats, while Emerson Shank scored 10 points. Amelia Robins had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals to go with four points in the victory, while Smith added four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
For the Lions, Jill Silver had 18 points and Abby Albertson scored 10.
Williamsport, the defending region champion, will host No. 3 Middletown in the final Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The Wildcats and Knights split their two games in the regular season, each team winning on its home court.
3A West Region I semifinals
Oakdale 64, North Hagerstown 53
The No. 2-seeded Bears held off the No. 3 Hubs (13-11) to advance to the region title game against Linganore.
Oakdale led 38-28 at halftime and 54-40 after three quarters.
Gabby Grantham-Medley scored 24 points to lead the Hubs. Ciyanda Green added seven points in the loss.
Friday, Feb. 24
1A West Region II quarterfinals
Smithsburg 56, Hancock 17
Maddie Kesselring had 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, Adriana Miller added 13 points and the host and third-seeded Leopards (7-16) opened up a 40-7 halftime lead against the sixth-seeded Panthers (0-21).
Smithsburg was in Hancock's shoes a year ago when the Leopards finished 0-21. They've been much more competitive this season and now have a playoff win in hand.
Up next for Smithsburg is a road game at second-seeded Boonsboro (7-15) in the region semifinals on Monday at 6:30 p.m. The rivals split their two regular-season games, each winning at home -- the Leopards 61-53 on Jan. 12, and the Warriors 46-41 on Feb. 14.
Skylar Smith led Hancock with six points.
Brunswick 56, Clear Spring 47 (OT)
The host and fourth-seeded Railroaders eliminated the fifth-seeded Blazers (5-18) in an overtime thriller.
Alyssa Fisher had 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight steals, and Callie Alkire added 14 points and eight rebounds for Clear Spring.
3A West Region I quarterfinals
North Hagerstown 66, Thomas Johnson 26
The host and third-seeded Hubs (13-10) rolled past the Patriots in their playoff opener.
Gabby Grantham-Medley led the way with 29 points, Anna Chamberlin scored 10 points and Ciyanda Green added nine points.
North will travel to face second-seeded Oakdale on Monday evening. The Bears defeated the Hubs twice in the regular season, 57-36 on Jan. 10 and 43-36 on Feb. 17.
Oakdale 67, South Hagerstown 24
The host and second-seeded Bears (17-6) rolled past the Rebels (3-19) for the third time this season.
For South, Naomi Powell had eight points and Aniyah Freeman scored seven.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: 2023 Washington County girls basketball playoff roundup
