UPPER MARLBORO — With tensions high and fans from both teams spilling onto the court, Henry A. Wise High School athletic director Jason Gordon took the microphone and pleaded with the crowd as the final seconds of the Class 1A state semifinal ticked away.
“Calm down,” he said. “Act like you’ve been there before.”
The response from the SEED School faithful was simple but impactful: “We haven’t.”
Every game past the regional final was a first for the upstart program. In the blink of an eye, the Sabers overcame a seven-point deficit with one minute left and had one shot at the upset of the season.
“We’re an up-and-coming program,” coach Eddie Green Jr. said. “To be down seven with a minute left, our kids always believed the whole time. We kept fighting.”
Khaled Al-Mateen’s go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left sealed the victory, part of his 31-point night, sending the Sabers to the Class 1A state final with a 60-59 win over two-time defending 1A state champion Edmondson-Westside.
“He had 27 in the regional final, hit the game-winner in the semifinal. Who else am I supposed to give it to?” Green said with a huge smile.
SEED (15-5) will play Cambridge-South Dorchester at 2 p.m. Friday at University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.
The Red Storm, the two-time defending state champions, entered the game 26-0 and showed why they had been called the team to beat since the start of the season. Guard Darnell Dantzler Jr. was his usual dazzling self early on, fearlessly driving to the basket for tough layups through contact. He finished with 26 points and led Edmondson to a slim halftime lead.
“They are champions personified. They’re the model of what we want to be,” Green said. “We just kept fighting. Every time they punched us, we punched back. We’ve been going through ups and downs all year.”
In stark contrast to many teams that have faced Dantzler over the past couple of seasons, the Sabers had someone who could go point for point with him: Al-Mateen.
“He’s come a long way in his two years here. We’ve put in a lot of work,” Green said. “This was his opportunity to step up, and that’s exactly what he did.”
The senior, who has been with the program long enough to see its rise from feisty upstart to state championship contender, matched Dantzler shot for shot as the two teams went back and forth the entire second half.
A Dantzler 3-pointer was met with a shrug as Al-Mateen caught a pass from teammate Tyler Duboise and answered with a 3-pointer of his own. An inside basket from Nate Sheppard off a gritty offensive rebound was quickly answered by Al-Mateen, who came off a screen and hit a simple but effective mid-range jumper before sprinting back on defense in the ultimate display of energy and effort.
“We’re very resilient,” Al-Mateen said. “We just stayed strong, kept our heads up and played as a team. It worked out in our favor.”
The Sabers matched the Red Storm’s intensity as coach Darnell Dantzler Sr. deployed RaShawn Davis to be a defensive menace. Green responded by bringing in Chase Pralieau, and the sophomore stepped up big, forcing turnovers and getting Davis into foul trouble, limiting his usual offensive output.
Pralieau finished with 12 points but had to watch from the sideline as Al-Mateen, with the ball in his hands and his team down one with less than 10 seconds left, delivered. Once Al-Mateen banked in the go-ahead shot and Merdi Tshiabide stifled Dantzler on the ensuing drive to the basket, the court was flooded with gold as Sabers fans stormed the floor.
In the chaos, some friends and family tried to enter the locker room area but were stopped by Prince George’s County police officers as they tried to clear the gym.
As assistant coach Barry Moore looked on, he told them not to worry about being kept out with a huge smile on his face.
“That’s OK,” he said. “We’ll see y’all again. Our season isn’t over. See you Friday.”
Class 1A state semifinal: SEED School 60, Emondson-Westside 59
SEED- Khaled Al-Mateen 31, Chase Pralieau 12, Omar Williams 6, Merdi Tshiabide 4, Malachi Parrott 3, Tyler Dubose 2, Ahmad Evans 2
EWHS- Darnell Dantzler Jr 26, Marcus Stepney 9, Nate Sheppard 8, Xaiver Davis 7, RaShawn Johnson 4, NayShawn Williams 2, Chance McCoy 2
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