Charles Hodge III got Edmondson boys basketball going early against New Town at Saturday’s Baltimore Hoops Festival at St. Frances.
But the standout combo guard was called upon in the game’s final minute and showed that he had one more big shot left in him. His 3-pointer with 12 seconds left proved the difference as the No. 9 Red Storm claimed a thrilling 68-67 win over the Titans.
Hodge finished with a game-high 25 points as Edmonson improved to 8-0 on the season.
After taking a 16-point first-quarter lead behind Hodge’s four 3-pointers, the Red Storm, who were without injured sophomore point guard Tyler Harper, ended up needing grit and poise to close out the win after Chase Dennis gave New Town a 67-65 lead with 41 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, the Red Storm got two huge offensive rebounds from Robert Price, who was able to find Hodge at the top of the circle for the eventual game-winning shot. On the Titans’ final possession, sound defense came from the Red Storm in the middle as they collectively collapsed on guard Makiye Fenwick’s drive to the basket.
“Last possession, they just trusted me and found me because I can shoot and we got the job done,” said Hodge, a senior transfer from Lake Clifton.
What was the feeling like hitting the big shot?
“8-0!” he replied. “We got the job done and I’m just happy we won.”
Early on, Hodge found a groove that showed signs of a blowout win.
After the Titans scored the game’s first basket, the Red Storm went on an 18-0 run with Hodge’s fourth 3 putting the lead at 18-2 with 2:13 left.
But New Town made adjustments and stayed determined, using a 20-point second quarter led by Fenwick (22 points and Josh Jones (16) to only trail 31-29 at the half.
The Red Storm again took hold of the game in the third quarter, with a 3 from Kenny Allen putting them up 44-33 with 4:30 to play. But back came the Titans, who tied the game at 54 on a 3 from Mekhi Moe (14 points) with 6:02 left in the first quarter. New Town then took its first lead on its next possession when Jones dunked an inside feed from Moe with 5:27 left.
With the game tied three more times, it was the Red Storm that had the final resolve with Price’s domination on the boards, Hodge’s fifth 3 of the game and the strong interior defense that swallowed up the Titans final chance to score.
Edmondson coach Darnell Dantzler applauded the strong effort from New Town and was pleased to see how his team responded to the challenge. Nayshawn Williams finished with 11 points, Jordan Andrews added 10 and Price had seven to go with the strong work on the boards.
“My hat goes off to my kids because they didn’t fold,” Dantzler said. “We got a lot of things to work on — it’s still early in the season — but for them to come out and play hard and not give up and not get down on each other and play together, I’m happy to come out with the win.”
New Town coach Derek Wise was disappointed that his team couldn’t complete the comeback, but he saw positives to build on.
“Rebounding is everything and we didn’t get the key rebounds down the stretch. We were one rebound away from possibly securing the game,” he said. “This was good with the environment and the competition, something for us to learn from that can help later in the season. I think we’ll grow from this.”
Edmondson returns to Baltimore City play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when it travels to Carver Vo-Tech. New Town gets back to its Baltimore County slate at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday hosting Franklin.
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NT — 9-20-18-20 — 67
E — 22-9-21-16 — 68
NT — Jones 16, Happi 3, Dennis 7, Giles 5, Fenwick 22, Moe 14
E — Price 7, Williams 11, Sheppard 4, Hodge 25, Andrews 10, Smith 1, Brown 3, Allen 7.
