Bruins Batter Northeast To Start Stretch Run

On February 6, Broadneck’s boys basketball team gave coach Jeff Starr and the home fans a glimpse of what they had been waiting to see all season.

Northeast scored the game’s first two points. Broadneck netted the next 26.

Just like that, everything had clicked, and the Bruins built up a 35-point lead in coasting to a 63-38 victory over the Eagles, avenging a 17-point season-opening loss in Pasadena.

“We had to have a fast start for our seniors, because we’ve been starting slowly in the first half all season,” said senior Ashton Sellman, one of six outgoing players feted during senior night festivities. “We wanted to come out hot for that, and they blew us out last time, so there were a lot of variables to make us want to do well.”

There was no such danger in this game, as the Bruins rolled to a 41-8 lead late in the second quarter. The margin didn’t hit its maximum until the late stages, but the way Broadneck fired on all cylinders in the game’s first 14 minutes, there was no way they were going to let the game slip away.

Sellman scored 12 points, Liam Sabo led all scorers with 16, and Alijah Hawkins added 10 to pace the Bruins.

“We’ve been waiting for that, for everyone to be going at the same time and everyone having energy. We had five guys with energy on the court tonight,” Starr said. “Hopefully now that they know what they’re capable of, they can keep that going.”

Sellman, Kamari Williams and Kemarri Collison are three of the senior leaders pushing the team forward. After a game against Old Mill in January, Starr singled Sellman out as taking the next step in his evolution as a leader, but the senior demurred when asked about his progress.

“Seventy-five percent of the team I’ve played with my entire life,” Sellman said. “It’s where we are all taking every practice, and every game, and treating it like they’re our last ones.”

The win was the third straight for Broadneck, coming after a 10-point loss to South River that handed them their sixth setback of the season. They also beat North County 54-52 and Chesapeake 67-27.

They’ll close the regular season with seven games in 10 days, starting with Chesapeake Science Point on February 10. Also in that stretch is a visit from Southern on February 11, a trip to Severna Park on February 13, and a rescheduled game against Glen Burnie on February 16.

“A lot of games, but it can build momentum, and that’s what we’re hoping to do,” Starr said.