Indian Creek boys basketball shielded its flimsy lead with defense, not offense. Too many easy layups spun out of the basket only to be grabbed by Archbishop Curley. By the end of the third quarter, the Friars splintered the wall and burst through shortly after, forcing the Eagles to chase in the final minutes.
Curley in contrast, was able to protect its lead.
To Curley coach Darnell Hopkins, the impact from his bench — more than any particular play — provided the turning point in the Friars’ 49-46 comeback in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference contest on Wednesday night.
“We pulled some guys off the bench — Kahliel Jackson, Johnny Colburn, Brett Henry — and they stepped up immediately,” Hopkins said. “They made a difference.”
With his team down, junior Nick Parris, Indian Creek’s leading scorer, sparked to life. He attacked the basket like it insulted him, pummeling seven consecutive points to reclaim slim control on the scoreboard.
But his surge was cut short when he picked up fifth foul. Henry (11 points) fired a go-ahead 3-pointer shortly after.
“Once shots start falling, you just start to feel better about everything,” Henry said.
Though Indian Creek junior Kyle Harvin (28 points) bodied through a line of Friars put the Eagles back ahead 46-45, Curley could not be deterred.
Junior guard Kemori Collins (10 points) flipped the lead for good with a layup in the final two minutes, while Miguel Davis iced the game at the free throw line. In the final seconds, Indian Creek desperately hunted for a tying 3-pointer. The Curley defense converged on Harvin, the Eagles’ main scorer of the night, forcing him to pass. The succeeding shot flung a foot off to the side of the rim.
“You’re gonna miss shots in basketball, but the one thing you can control is your effort and your energy on both ends of the court,” Hopkins said. “As long as we did that, I felt we could stay in the game and come out with a victory.”
Those sort of wide shots piled alongside Indian Creek’s 20 missed layups on Wednesday. They unhappily joined a litany of unforced turnovers to give Curley hope when the Eagles should’ve controlled.
Harvin single-handedly dominated, showering 16 points in the first half alone. Had other baskets met their targets, the Eagles might’ve levied a sizable lead going into halftime.
Instead, Curley stayed within one after the first quarter and within two at halftime. Collins had the final say of both frames. The Friars struggled against a smothering Indian Creek defense all the while, but relented, plucking nearly every rebound and, within the first few minutes, scoring the shots they were taking.
“I just think it was a lack of focus,” Indian Creek coach Jimmy Little said. “We played good enough to win, but it’s the little things that’s holding this group back. We turned the ball over without any pressure. We missed all those layups because we’re not focused on how to make the layup.”
Even as the Eagles focused on collecting boards in the second quarter and on, errant shots overshadowed the good. A few 3-pointers would be enough to hold a 23-21 halftime edge.
It would not be enough in the third.
Curley center Giampaolo Tripodi’s tying layup to open the second half flashed like a warning flare. Curley was done trailing.
When Eagles junior Kiko Oyugi deposited his 3-pointer, Henry fired back with one of his own and chased it with a layup.
In the final seconds of the quarter, Friars senior Greate White darted around the arc, shook off Indian Creek’s Ethan Jeffers, and gave Curley its first lead, 32-31, before the buzzer.
“We always just kept fighting,” Henry. “This win shows our growth. We’re getting better as a team — which at this point in the year is huge.”
Harvin compiled 61% percent of Indian Creek’s scoring. That, Little said, is part of the problem.
“I got two guys that can score, but if they don’t help their teammates gain confidence, we’re in trouble,” he said. “Ninety percent of my team is inexperienced. But it’s coming along. It’s just the little things.”
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