It looks like the only thing that can stop Milford Mill High boys’ basketball team from leaving Comcast Center with the Class 3A state championship Saturday is the University of Maryland men’s basketball squad.
The No. 3 Millers moved closer to a repeat with a 58-37 dissection of Friendly from Prince George’s County in a semifinal contest at Comcast Center Thursday. Milford Mill will play Centennial for the state championship Saturday at 3 p.m. in College Park.
Senior center Tevin Hanner posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Milford Mill (24-2), and Nick Smoot and Chase Cormier each added 10. Davon Morton led Friendly (23-4) with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Sherrod Baltimore finished with 11.
The Millers led to wire-to-wire in snapping the Prince George’s County champions’ 23-game winning streak. For the Baltimore County champs, it was simply business.
“They stepped up to the challenge. We talked about maturity and drawing on the experience of playing in big games,” said Milford Mill coach Albert Holley, whose team extended its win streak to 14. “I thought they did that, I thought they played like men.”
It looked like men versus boys in stretches Thursday. The Millers led by as many 20 points in the first half and 25 in the second half. Despite not getting to see Friendly during region final weekend, Milford Mill utilized an active zone to force the Patriots into a halfcourt chess match.
“We want to keep the guards from penetrating in lane because that’s their strength. They’re like us, they like to get up the floor,” said Hanner. “We wanted to slow it up and make them run a couple of sets.”
“We have to always play defense,” said McCray.
Through the first 12 minutes Thursday, Friendly had just one field goal. Milford Mill effortlessly executed its halfcourt offense, building a 15-4 first quarter advantage. The Millers took advantage of a Friendly lapse as an unguarded Hanner got a pass on the baseline and went uncontested to the basket for a dunk for a 24-6 lead in the second quarter.
McCray made it 26-6 with two free throws. The co-player of the year in Baltimore County with comrade Hanner picked up two early fouls Thursday, but the Millers didn’t missed a beat as Smoot, a senior transfer from defunct Cardinal Gibbons, got the starting call and sparked Milford Mill’s offense with his perimeter shooting. Cormier, in his in spot as sixth-man, was again steady.
“I just try to give a spark,” said Cormier, whose brother Dylan started at Loyola University this season after an All-Met campaign at Gibbons last year. “I saw Ike [McCray] was in foul trouble so I knew I had to take a big load.”
The Patriots pulled to within 31-17 early in the third quarter but a three-pointer from corner by Smoot, a drive and score by Katrell Myers, and follow by Hanner, pushed Milford Mill’s advantage to 21. Friendly got no closer than 19 points.
The Fort Washington school had a little momentum by halftime, trailing by 12. The Patriots trailed LaPlata by 18 points entering the final quarter of Saturday’ region finals before staging a remarkable rally and winning in overtime.
Milford Mill isn’t LaPlata.
“They’re [Milford Mill] everything they say they were,” said Friendly coach Rob Garner. “You can see the experience and confidence of them being here last year, and having guys that’s been a part of this whole thing.”
The Millers’ final obstacle Saturday will be Centennial, which defeated South Hagerstown in the other semifinal. The Eagles are making their first state Final Four appearance.
No school has repeated as 3A state champions in 25 years.
“It’s not over yet, we still got a journey to finish which is Saturday, state championship at 3 o’clock,” said McCray. “We hope walk out here state champions again.”
