No. 16 Meade continues postseason run, holds off Northwest for 4A state boys basketball final four berth; Scott scores 20
Kyree Scott helped Meade boys basketball advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals Friday. The senior scored 20 points as the 16th-ranked Mustangs defeated Montgomery County’s Northwest, 82-76, in a quarterfinal match in Anne Arundel County.
by Trevor Colgan
Special to VSN
Kyree Scott was itching to get back in the game. The Meade junior had come out of Friday’s Class 4A state boys quarterfinal contest game with a lower body injury and knew he needed to be back out there.
A few minutes later, Scott was back and provided a needed spark for the Mustangs. He hit shots from deep and played physically inside.
Scott’s efforts pushed the 16th-ranked Mustangs to a 82-76 victory over Montgomery County’s Northwest on Butch Young Court in Anne Arundel County.
Meade held off a late push from Northwest to advance to the 4A state final four. The Mustangs will play another Montgomery squad, Winston Churchill, Tuesday or Wednesday at site to be determined.
Meade is a win away from the University of Maryland and state final thanks to Scott, who scored 20 points.
“My team needed me,” Scott said.
For most of the game, Meade held a double-digit lead. It started early, when Xavion Roberson began the game hitting two free throws and a 3-pointer. Andre Campbell scored on a fast break, and a few possessions — and Roberson fastbreaks later — it was an early 12-2 advantage for the Mustangs.
Despite the strong start Meade found itself in foul trouble. Enter Scott.
Toward the end of the first quarter, he hit a 3-pointer to put the Mustangs up eight. In the second quarter he scored a putback and an acrobatic layup. At the end of the half, Scott hit another layup and beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer, firing up the Mustangs and their raucous home crowd.
Scott continued to find the bottom of the net in the second half from deep. His efforts helped the Mustangs to a 11-point halftime advantage.
“Kyree played the best game of the season,” Meade coach Mike Glick said. “He can shoot the basketball. He’s been a little cold the last few games, and he stepped up and hit some big shots for us.”
The Mustangs and Northwest battled back and forth in the third, scoring 18 points a piece. Despite the back-and-forth nature of the third quarter, the Mustangs held that double-digit lead.
In the fourth quarter, however, with Meade in foul trouble, the Jaguars made their push. Northwest was getting everything it wanted, with the Meade players holding back, knowing that the next foul could be their last.
“We couldn’t stop them, plain and simple,” Glick said. “They had a really good game plan and they scored at will there in the fourth quarter.”
As Northwest crept closer, the Mustangs needed someone to step up. Shawn Jones did, hitting three free throws in the last minute — seven total in the final quarter — to keep it a two possession game, followed by John Teague finishing Meade’s work through the Jaguar press with a layup.
When tested at the end of the game, Meade held up. Two weeks ago, the Mustangs lost to Arundel in the Anne Arundel County championship. Tuesday, Meade returned the favor, winning the East Region I crown.
Now, the Mustangs are in the 4A state final four. Scott and the Mustangs attribute it all to Glick. He knew after that Arundel loss, his team needed to learn a lesson.
“It humbled us,” Scott said. “We were cocky, but now we’re ready to fight back and win a state championship.”
Class 4A state quarterfinal
No. 16 Meade 82, Northwest 76
Northwest- Cortez Whitney 13, Darius Collymore 22, CJ Lee 18, Benito Cala 9, Ousame Barry 2, Darren Moore 12. Totals 27 17-26 76.
Meade – Campbell 21, Roberson 9, Jones 17, Scott 20, Teague 13, Bryson Spruell 2. Totals 32 12-20 82.
Northwest 14 16 18 28 — 76
Meade 24 17 18 23 — 82
