Broadneck Boys Soar To Basketball Region Semifinals

Jordan Brown trudged to the bench midway through the first quarter Tuesday, having already picked up his second foul. Broadneck had an early lead, but the Bruins’ talisman had yet to score and now had to sit.

Rather than question what they could do without their star, the supporting cast stole the show.

Shawn Lewis scored 16, Drew Cahall added 10 and Broadneck moved on in the 4A East Region II boys basketball playoffs with a 73-59 win over Annapolis.

With Brown on the bench, the Bruins flowed through their point guard Lewis, who found Cahall for three first-half 3-pointers and mixed in his own magic both from the lane and beyond the arc.

“This team has been unselfish the whole year. They just try to find the open guy and make the right play,” said Broadneck coach Jeff Starr. “Shawn totally controlled the game from the point guard position, and he gave the guys open looks, and they converted.”

Five Broadneck players scored at least eight in the game, including Joey Smargissi and Luke Baldwin, while the defense was active both in the passing lanes and on the glass, as the Bruins put together one of their most complete performances of the season.

“We’ve got a lot of gunners and different scorers on the floor,” said Lewis. “It feels great when everybody’s clicking. When we click, it’s magical.”

For a moment in the middle stages of the game, it looked like Annapolis might have found the antidote to all Broadneck’s success. Down 16, the Panthers leaned into their grit and fire, trying to lure the Bruins into a particularly physical style of basketball. It worked for a time, and early in the third quarter, Annapolis hit a layup to take a brief lead.

With the gauntlet thrown down, Broadneck didn’t blink. Lewis nailed his third 3-pointer of the night, and Brown soon made his impact by gliding to the basket and earning trip after trip to the foul line.

“We just needed to keep our composure,” said Brown, who finished with a game-high 17 points. “We knew if it got out of hand and we lost our composure, we wouldn’t win the game.”

What was a four-point margin after three quarters quickly extended as Broadneck continued sharing the ball and taking what Annapolis gave. Lewis and Brown both found ample space to take the ball to the basket and either finish or facilitate at the hoop.

Broadneck’s spurt was punctuated by Brown stepping to the free-throw line and hitting two free throws, the second of which gave him 15 points on the night and 1,000 for his varsity career at Broadneck.

Annapolis immediately called a timeout and Brown’s teammates mobbed him at midcourt.

“I was just locked in the moment, trying to get the win,” said Brown. “It’s not something that I thought would happen, so I’m grateful.”

The Bruins travel to second-seeded Leonardtown for a regional semifinal showdown on Thursday.

Broadneck 73, Annapolis 59

Annapolis  10   17   19   13   --59

Broadneck  18   17   15   23   --73

ANNAPOLIS (59)

Dean 1 0-0 2, J. Johnson 1 0-1 2, K. Johnson 2 0-0 5, N. Johnson 1 0-0 3, McIver 5 0-0 14, Carter 6 3-5 15, Clavery 8 0-5 16, Jordan 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 3-11 59.

BROADNECK (73)

Sellman 1 0-1 2, Smargissi 4 0-0 8, Williams 1 0-0 2, Aponte 1 0-0 3, Cahall 3 1-2 10, Lewis 6 1-1 16, Brown 5 7-7 17, Ditzel 0 2-2 2, Baldwin 3 2-2 8, McGowan 1 3-4 5. Totals 25 16-19 73.

3-point goals: Annapolis 6 (McIver 4, N. Johnson, K. Johnson); Broadneck 7 (Cahall 3, Lewis 3, Aponte). Total fouls: Annapolis 17, Broadneck 15. Fouled out: none.