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Maryland 3D 17 under schedule
Hoop Magic – Team Take over tournament March 27 – 29
Hoop Magic – DC ASSAULT tournament April 10 – 12
Hoop Group – Pittsburgh Jam Fest – April 17 – 19
Big Shots – Washington DC – May 2 – 3
Hoop Group – Southern Jam Fest (Hampton, Va.) – May 8 – 10
York Ballers – Harrisburg, Pa – May 16 - 17
Charm City – Baltimore, Md – June 20 - 21
Big Shots 1 – Myrtle Beach, SC – July 9 – 10
Big Shots 2 – Myrtle Beach, SC – July 11 – 12
Hoop Group – West Virginia Jam Fest – July 14 - 16
Hoop Magic – B.T.B (Big Time Bump) tournament July 30 - 31
Groce lifts St. Mary's to MIAA B Conference title
Digital Sports article
Nick Groce has played in a championship game ever year in high school but with his future college teammates and coaches watching from the upper deck, the senior guard saved his best prep performance for last.
Groce scored a game-high 26 points and hit a game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift the St. Mary's High School boys basketball team to a thrilling 62-60 victory over St. Vincent Pallotti in the MIAA B Conference championship at UMBC on Sunday.
The Saints (21-8) won their second title in three years and third overall. The Panthers finished at 23-5.
Groce, who will play on the very same court with the Retrievers next year, helped lead his squad to the junior-varsity championship title as a freshman as was a member of a St. Mary's varsity team that has advanced to the conference final each of the last three years.
"For Nick, what an amazing story," said Saints coach Brian Konik, whose team won 11 of its final 12 games, including a 67-64 victory over top-seeded St. Paul's in the semifinals. "He wins the championship again in front of his (future) home court and coach and he hits the game-winning shot. It's like a little move script."
Senior Chris Murphy hit the second of two free throws for Pallotti with 50 seconds remaining to knot tie the game, 60-60. St. Mary's held the possession for a final shot before Groce got the ball at the top of the key. He drove down the right side of the lane, went up against two defenders and shifted the ball to his left hand before laying it in off the glass.
"I really don't even know what was going on in my head," said Groce, who was hoisted onto the shoulders of students who rushed the court in celebration. "I just knew I had to get to the basket because they were in double bonus and maybe I would go to the foul line. I didn't expect to make the shot but it went in."
Junior forward Mark McNeill finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Saints. The three-sport athlete, who also helped lead the Saints to the B Conference football title in December, scored six straight points during a 8-0 run for St. Mary's in the second quarter.
"Yeah, that was when everything was working out," said McNeill, who capped the surge with a steal on defense followed by a fast-break dunk. "A lot of pressure for lacrosse now. We'll see how that goes."
Senior guard Kendall Watkins scored a team-high 14 points for Pallotti, while senior guard Leon Porter and junior forward Leslie Addy each added 13. The Panthers went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter to get back in the game before Groce hit a free throw to tie the game, 58-58, with 2:16 left.
A Trey Quinn (four points, eight rebounds, four assists) layup gave the Saints a one-point edge before Murphy went to the free-throw line.
During the spurt in the third, Pallotti took advantage of four straight missed free throws by St. Mary's and Porter, who attacked the basket every time he touched the ball after the break, scored five points. Addy hit two putbacks during the same stretch.
"We went up but it seemed like St. Mary's just wanted it more in the end," said Porter, who picked up his fourth foul late in the third and watched most of fourth-quarter action from the bench. "It was very frustrating for me. I let my team down because it was a bonehead play (referring to fourth foul) but my teammates kept us in the game when I was on the bench."
Porter's half-court desperation shot after Groce's game-winner bounced off the rim.
"Overall, it was a great season," said Porter, a savvy point guard, who will play next year at Dominican College in New York. "We finished with the best record in Pallotti history and we got over the semifinal hump."
St. Mary's converted seven of its first nine field-goal attempts in the second and opened its biggest lead of the game, 29-21, after a Groce 3-pointer in transition with 3:08 left in the period. Groce, who was held scoreless in the first, hit four of his team's five treys in the game and added three straight free throws late in the third after getting fouled during a 3-point attempt.
"One of the things that we try to do at St. Mary's and we take pride in is our motion-style offense that creates space but also is good for keeping possession of the ball," Konik said. "We knew we wanted to get the last shot and we were able to do that. We left (Pallotti) a couple of seconds and I was worried Porter was going to hit that one off the break for three."
The Saints did not commit a turnover in the first and fourth quarters. Groce had a team-high six assists while senior guard Ronnie Hoffman added nine points and senior forward Jon Akpapunam finished with four points and seven rebounds.
McNeill had his hands full with the Pallotti players in the post. The tallest player of the Saints roster at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, McNeill held junior forward Eric Washington to eight points.
"It was tough, because (Washington) is a big, strong kid," said McNeill, who opened the fourth with a layup to cut Pallotti's lead to 52-47. "I just had to fight my way around him. That was about all I could do."
Washington pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds in the tournament semifinals when the Panthers upended defending champ Mount Carmel, 72-64. The win ended a drought that saw Pallotti lose in the semifinals each of the last five years.
For the Saints, who have made three straight conference finals appearances, the question of moving up to the A Conference lingered after the game.
"I'm not so sure because we are very content right now," said Konik, who will return 10 varsity players next season after a third consecutive 20-win season.
"With the B Conference, there's different teams at the top every year. Plus, we value our rivalries with the other private school teams in Anne Arundel County like Severn and AACS."
St. Mary's (21-8) 11 22 12 17 - 62
St. Vincent Pallotti (23-5) 11 18 21 10 - 60
STM: Groce 26, McNeill 19, Akpapunam 4, Hoffman 9, Quinn 4. Totals 23(5) 11-20 62.
SVP: Watkins 14, Porter 13, Addy 13, Murphy 9, Washington 8, Bailey 2. Totals 25(5) 5-10.
Halftime: Pallotti, 33-29.
9th annual Charm City Challenge (Rosters announced)
BALTIMORE ALL STARS
Matt Rum
COUNTY ALL STARS
Nick Groce
Sidney McCray
3D Charm City All-Stars
The Capital on Coach Ed Wilson
Steve Belichick Coaches Award
Maryland 3D PLAYER RECORDS (UPDATED 02/16/09)
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Quote of the Day
"The beauty of basketball is that it takes more than just athleticism. Your intelligence, your understanding, your desire are a large part of whether you're a good player or not."
Coach John Thompson III
"The depth of your struggle will determine the height of your success."
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