Falcons Fall In Boys Basketball County Title Game

Severna Park’s boys basketball team was equipped to handle their first lull, as well as their second. The third, though, proved to be one too many trips to the well.

South River ran their offense to ruthless efficiency, moving the ball almost at will and beating the Falcons at their own game, rolling to a 65-40 victory Saturday at Arundel High School to claim the county championship.

Three times the Seahawks raced out to sizeable leads in the first half. The first time came when they scored the game’s first seven points, a gap Severna Park quickly erased. Then South River scored seven more in a row, and the Falcons fought back with five at the end of the first quarter.

But then South River stretched the lead with a 17-5 run, and the Falcons’ normally patient offense appeared rushed and frenetic, which only dug their hole even deeper. By the midway point of the third quarter, the deficit was 26, and that was that.

“Playing this team is a war of attrition, and the team that usually wins is the one that stays locked in to what they do for 32 minutes,” said Severna Park coach Pete Young. “Sometimes you just need to remember that there are still 15, 17 minutes left in the game and not get too high or too low.”

Severna Park ran their offense well in the first quarter, but only Tucker Moran could really get going, scoring eight of his nine points in the opening period. Charlie Hartman led the Falcons with 10 points.

Severna Park never got closer than two points after the last minute of the first quarter: they made just one field goal in the second period, and at that point, even when the offense was firing as it should have, the team missed several point-blank layup attempts.

The two teams will square off again on Thursday at South River, in the 3A East Region I semifinals.

The teams have split their two matchups this season. This time, instead of a county championship on the line, it will be the teams’ respective seasons at stake.

“They get (Saturday) to feel it, Sunday to let it linger, and on Monday it’s back to work,” Young said.

South River 65, Severna Park 40

South River     17   14   19   15   --65

Severna Park    12   5    10   13   --40

SOUTH RIVER (65)

Finn 1 3-3 6, Barney 7 2-8 17, Davis 1 1-2 3, Schroder 3 0-0 8, McDuffle 1 0-0 3, Hall 3 1-1 9, Crimaudo 7 4-4 19. Totals 23 11-18 65.

SEVERNA PARK (40)

Cleary 1 4-6 6, Moran 3 2-3 9, Gorski 1 2-2 4, Hartman 4 1-2 10, Young 1 3-5 5, Abell 2 2-5 6. Totals 12 14-23 40.

3-point goals: South River 8 (Schroder 2, Hall 2, Finn, Barney, McDuffie, Crimaudo), Severna Park 2 (Moran, Hartman). Total fouls: South River 19, Severna Park 17. Fouled out: Moran, Young. Technical fouls: Severna Park, Brown.