In its Class 3A state semifinal game against undefeated Largo, Bethesda-Chevy Chase had to pull out all the stops.
So with his team down by five points in the first period, 6-foot-8 Maurice Pearson whirled on 6-11 Maurice Sutton, gathered himself in the lane, and rose for a one-handed slam as he drew a foul.
It was only one play and it was early, but it energized a big B-CC crowd and infused the Barons with the confidence they used to score 30 points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 75-62 victory at Comcast Center.
“I hadn’t done it this year,” said Pearson. “I felt a surge go through us.”
B-CC (22-3) advances to the 3A state final for the second time in three years. The Barons will face River Hill (22-5) Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Ohio University-bound Pearson was spectacular throughout on Thursday as he scored a career-high 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished 6 assists, blocked 3 shots, and limited the highly-regarded Sutton to 6 points and 6 boards.
“He rises to the occasion in the big games,” said B-CC coach Steve Thompson. “That spin-move dunk sent a message to our team.”
Picking up on the message were junior Austin Cooley (13 points, nine rebounds, 5 steals) and senior Jon Gregg (12 points, 7 rebounds).
B-CC (22-3) struggled early with the pressure defense of Largo, led by Maurice Colter (26 points, 5 steals). But in the end, the Barons and point guard Darren Smith had it solved as they scored 23 points in the final 3 minutes, 40 seconds.
B-CC also did it with defense, mixing a triangle-and-two with a 2-3 zone, holding the Lions to 28 percent shooting and Prince George’s County scoring leader Kwame Morgan to 12 points, 17 fewer than his average. The Barons outrebounded Largo, 50-35.
Magruder 63, No. 7 Eleanor Roosevelt 61
Being the star is nothing new to Magruder senior Justin Taylor. But it’s on the football field where he’s best known.
Thursday night in the 4A state semifinals, however, Taylor hit a 12-foot jumper with 1 second left to give Magruder a 63-61 victory over Eleanor Roosevelt.
It was the second basket of the game for Taylor, a reserve guard, who has scored 91 points this season. Taylor was surprised to have the ball in his hands after Magruder (20-5) held it for the final 35 seconds.
“Not really,” said Taylor. “We wanted to get it to one of our better shooters.”
The shot was typical of Magruder’s night. The Colonels hit 55 percent from the floor, getting big efforts from seniors Donald Robinson (20 points), Julien Bouil (5 blocks), and Michael Schaerr (12 points), to trump the work of Darnell Dodson (27 points, 11 rebounds), who tied the game with a 30-foot, 3-point bomb with 36 seconds to go.
