Orioles boys basketball falls short in overtime of MIAC semifinals
Feb. 23—Maryland School for the Deaf's boys basketball game on Thursday was perhaps a microcosm of its season.
Much of it was up-and-down, with the Orioles seeming invincible and fallible on alternating possessions. But when it came down to crunch time, they played their best basketball late, only to fall just short at the end.
Their effort never wavered, even as their home scoreboard read a 62-56 overtime loss to Covenant Life. MSD saw its season halted in the Maryland Independent Athletic Conference semifinals, a bitter end to what was a season where the team rounded into form at the right time.
"A lot of people had high expectations in this group. And we had a huge group of seniors and sophomores, so we had to learn how to play together, and that was my biggest puzzle piece to fix," Orioles coach Danny Gabel said. "It was a tough journey, but they really grew to love the game."
That journey was spearheaded by senior captain Zion Ortiz, and he helped lead MSD's charge back against the Cougars (17-7).
Trailing by 11 with just over four minutes left in regulation, the Orioles switched to a full-court man-to-man pressure that stymied Covenant Life. On offense, Ortiz helped MSD get into the paint, and the team's shots started falling.
"We love to play together, and it's really one of the most passionate teams [I've been on]," he said. "So once we decided we're going man-to-man, we knew something was going to happen. And right away, it worked, and we were able to catch up."
Ortiz hit three baskets in that closing run, including a jumper in the lane with 28 seconds left to tie the contest at 48.
That's the kind of effort he's shown all year, even when he was banged up to start the season.
"We're really blessed to have his leadership. The boys really listen to him as much as they listen to me," Gabel said.
When he got healthy, Ortiz helped steer the Orioles (16-10) back on track and rattle off eight wins in their final 10 games, including seven in a row at one point, to ride into the postseason as the MIAC's No. 1 seed.
And MSD played right with the Cougars from the opening tip, despite the highs and lows. The Orioles led by eight at the half before falling behind in the third quarter, tying it up late and falling just short in the final minute of the extra period.
Ortiz led his squad with 16 points, adding four rebounds. Jayden Orsi-Pedersen had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Zeke Ortiz chipped in 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Covenant Life's Noah Crawford scored a game-high 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half and overtime.
"Much more pressure in overtime, No. 1 seed at home, expectations were high," Gabel said. "Our boys stuck together, stayed focused, we gave our best. Just the little, simple things made a big difference in the results. They made some really nice, hard shots, some we didn't expect them to make."
