Mavericks Defeat Jazz 32-27 For Scrub Title

On February 16, the Mavericks defeated the Jazz 32-27 in the championship game of the Green Hornets boys scrub basketball league at Severna Park High School, avenging their only loss of the season, finishing 15-1 overall and capitalizing on a season-long vision of winning the championship.

Seniors Trey Huber and Brendan Murphy came together prior to the season with a plan to draft a championship-caliber team and win the league. After securing fellow senior Will Kennedy; sophomores Decklan Gentile and Ryan Minton; and freshmen Will Huber, Nathan Clarke, Hayden Warren, Davis Cawlfield and Carter Johnson, captains Huber and Murphy enlisted their mothers, Renee Huber and Patty Murphy, to become first-time basketball coaches for their sons’ final season of high school basketball.

Warren’s basket with 26 seconds left in the game gave the Mavericks a three-point lead. Clarke, who had ended his family vacation early and driven four hours home for the game, made two foul shots with six seconds left to give the Mavericks a five-point lead.

Kennedy was the team’s leading rebounder, while seniors Murphy and Trey Huber were the team’s leading scorers.

Players and coaches expressed pride for the season and the bond the team shared.

“Having both my senior, Trey, and freshman, Will, on the same team was really special,” said coach Huber. “I was happy to be part of a great scrub season!”

Coach Murphy said, “I loved getting to know these boys and watching them develop as a team. Renee and I subscribed to a hands-off coaching style, letting the seniors take the reins, putting together the lineups for each game and drawing up the plays. The offense played unselfishly which meant every win was a team effort.”

Brendan Murphy spoke of the team’s togetherness.

“I can’t say enough about the chemistry of this team,” he said. “I had so much fun the entire year watching some of our younger players develop to the point where they were confident enough to take shots they would not have early in the season. I think it’s important to mention that we won almost all our games with 10 kids this entire year, which is commendable in a league where many teams play each game with seven or eight players…The Jazz were also the only team that beat us in the regular season, so it was even more special that we avenged that one loss in the championship.”

The team garnered praise from opposing teams and coaches, referees and league administrators for their sportsmanship and positives attitudes. Trey Huber said everyone on the team contributed and was important to the outcome of the season.

“Our success was due to our large team effort,” said Huber. Everyone played an important role. We had our full team for most games and we played with great team chemistry. Everyone had a lot of fun.”

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