For Dunbar, it was their first city championship since 2004.  They are accustomed to winning state championships, partially because the class they play in (the 1A class) has little competition.  But city championships have much better competition.  Teams from all four of Maryland's classifications (within Baltimore City) fight to play in the Baltimore City Championship.  Last year Patterson won the Baltimore City chip after going undefeated in Baltimore league play for the entire year.  In fact the first loss that Patterson suffered to a Baltimore City school since the 2009-10 season was to the Dunbar Poets on January 13th of this year.   Many criticized the officiating that game and thought Patterson didn't get a fair shake.  Excuses or not, Patterson would have their shot at redemption with the stakes much higher and on a neutral court.

Dunbar senior guard Rodrick Harrison single handedly owned the first quarter hitting four 3-balls in the eight minute span.  He would add a fifth triple a minute in to the second quarter.  Harrison would cool down after that but his fellow Poets would pick up where he left off, especially on the defensive front.  Dunbar killed Patterson on the boards, even though they gave up a few inches in every front court match-up.  Dunbar's biggest lead of the game would reach nine points (on multiple occasions) and Patterson never led after the first quarter.  The closest they would come was a tied game on an Aquille Carr to Leonard Livingston alley-oop early in the third quarter.

Dunbar's defense would continue to stifle Patterson, limiting Aquille Carr to just one field goal outside of the paint in the entire game.  Dunbar left the door open late for Patterson, going 2-12 from the free throw line in the final 1:13 of the game but Patterson could not take advantage of Dunbar's misfortunes.  Patterson had a pair of turnovers in the final seventy seconds, missed four 3-pointers, and were unable to complete the comeback.

Aquille Carr finished with a game high 24 points.  Dunbar saw four players reach double figures.  They were led by Harrison's 18.  Evan Singletary would chip in 16, Aaron Parham 13, and Donte Pretlow 10.  Patterson's Devin Hebron scored 14, and junior Myrek Lee-Fowlkes, who did not start for the first time this season added 11.

The Baltimore City Championship has no bearing on the Maryland State playoffs, it is more of a bragging rights type game.  Dunbar and Patterson can now switch gears and focus on getting to the Comcast Center, and hopefully winning a state championship.  Patterson is the 15th seed in what many are calling the tournament's toughest bracket, the 3A North. Patterson opens up at #2 seed Hereford Saturday at noon.  Patterson will have to potentially beat Hereford, City, and defending 3A state champs Milford Mill just to reach the Comcast Center.  Should they represent the 3A North at the Comcast Center, Thomas Stone sits on the other side of the bracket, who may be the only team that has a size advantage over Patterson in the State of Maryland.

Dunbar will represent the 1A South in the Maryland State tournament.  Many think Dunbar winning state chips is just a formality.  With the squad they have this year those people might just be right.

Forest Park senior DeAnthony McCormick scored a game high 33 points to lead the Foresters. Junior forward Anton Waters chipped in 11.  Southwestern was led by senior guard Willie McDowell who scored 15.  Malcolm Miller and Juwan Harrell chipped in 13 each for the Sabres.  Forest Park got out to an early double digit lead which they held until midway through the third quarter.  Southwestern would make a couple of late runs, even cutting the defect down to a one possession game.  But McCormick and the foresters were too much and walked away with a seven point victory.

Forest Park will enter the Maryland state tournament as the #2 seed in the 1A South.  They get a bye in the first round and will host the winner of Reginald Lewis and National Academy on Tuesday, February 28th.  Southwestern will represent the 4A North as the #2 seed.  They too have a first round bye.  They will host the winner of Sherwood and Perry Hall on Tuesday, February 28th.

For DeMatha it was senior night where 8 seniors (7 players and one manager) were honored in a nice presentation before the game.  Five DeMatha seniors started the game.  Normal starters Jerami Grant and James Robinson were in the line-up along with three players who normal receive spot duty.  One of these players, Matthew Smith had a first quarter for the ages.  Smith ended up as DeMatha's third leading scorer in the game.  All eight of his points came in a four possession span just minutes in to the game.  First, Smith hit a righty runner along the base-line (he is a lefty).  Two possessions later he hit a contested 3-pointer right in front of the Paul VI bench.  On the next possession he was almost in the exact spot as his first three but about 18 inches deeper, and he caught and fired without hesitation like he was Reggie Miller and connected.  The DeMatha faithful absolutely lost it.  8 points in less then a minute for senior Matthew Smith on senior night.  In fact, coming in to this game Smith had only 19 points in the season.  It was a game he will remember for the rest of his life.  Smith would make multiple appearances later in the first half.

Like the first time these two teams met back on January 27th, this was a back and forth affair.  Neither team would get out to a double digit lead.  Paul VI finally made a run at the end of the third quarter.  They would take a 50-43 lead in to the 4th quarter.  But DeMatha was resilient and would climb all the way back and take a one point lead at 55-54 on a BeeJay Anya put back with just over two minutes to go.  Paul VI's Jamall Robinson would find Coleman Johnson for a foul line jumper with 1:21 remaining to give the Panthers a lead they would never relinquish.  DeMatha would have two shots to recapture the lead but it wasn't to be.  DeMatha guard Marcellous Bell would miss a baseline three with a minute to go.  Following a Paul VI time-out junior Stanford Robinson would tip in his own miss with 21.2 second to go to stretch the PVI lead out to three.  Following a DeMatha time-out the Stags would struggle to get a good look.  Marcellous Bell would have his desperation three partially blocked as time expired and Paul VI had pulled off the feat; 16-0 in WCAC play.

But it will be all for nothing if the Panthers can't continue what they've done in the post-season.  Paul VI will have the #1 seed in the WCAC tournament and an inside track at earning a shot to play in the Abe Pollin City Title Game vs the DCIAA champion.  The tournament begins on Friday.  The Championship will be played next Monday, February 27th at Bender Arena, on the American University Campus.

DeMatha was led by their two seniors Jerami Grant and James Robinson who scored  15 and 14 respectively.  Robinson who recently scored his 1000th career point lost just his second game on his home court on Sunday afternoon.  Robinson has been on the varsity for four years, and has been a three year starter.  Paul VI had six players score between 6 and 12 points.  They were led by Coleman Johnson's 12.  There was a star studded line-up of D-1 coaches in attendance on Sunday.  Rick Pitino (Louisville), Mark Turgeon (Maryland), Paul Hewitt (George Mason), Tony Bennet (Virginia), and Mike Lonergan (George Washington) were all in attendance.  It is projected that up to 14 players who played in Sunday's game can earn division-1 scholarships.

The major problem with this system is that you could have the 5th and 6th best teams in a particular region playing each other in the first round while a team who has the worst record in the state could receive a bye in the first round and play at home in the second round.  Ever since they went to this system about 10 years ago many people have voiced their frustration.

The four #1 seeds in the 4A are Magruder (west), Springbrook (north), Arundel (east), and Flowers(south).  Defending 4A state champs North Point are the #3 seed in the East.  This means that they will potentially have to travel to Arundel for the 4A North championship.  The most refreshing news about the 4A seedings is that Magruder and North Point are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning if the two favorites out of the 4A meet, it will be for the state championship.

Last year's runner-up in the 4A, the Patterson Clippers out of Baltimore are now in the 3A.  And Patterson got screwed with the their blind draw seeding.  Patterson is the 15th seed out of 15 teams in the 3A North.  While many people consider them the favorite to win the 3A championship there is no possibility that they can play even a single home game. #1 seeds in the 3A are the defending 3A state champs Milford Mill (north), South Hagerstown (west), Centennial (east), and Thomas Stone (south).

Defending 2A state champs, Digital Harbor out of Baltimore City are now in the 3A.  They are the #6 seed in the most loaded region of all four classifications, the 3A north.  This years top seeds in the 2A include South Carroll (west), Lake Clifton (north), Patterson Mill (east), and Gwynn Park (south).  Many consider Lake Clifton the favorite in this class, but coach Mike Glick has become a familiar face at the Comcast Center with his Gwynn Park Yellow Jackets.

Top seeds in the 1A include Dunbar (south), Kent County (east), Smithsburg (west), and Western STES (north).  The biggest favorite to win any state chip are the Dunbar Poets out of the 1A.  They have the Maryland state record for most high school basketball championships.

As always Capitol Hoops will be at as many playoff games as possible, bringing you highlights and write-ups.  We will also be selling DVDs of all games we attend (with the exception of the state championships, we are not allowed to sell DVDs of those per state rule) so if you miss any games you know where to come to see highlights or buy DVD's.

The game was very even for the first three quarters but Montrose pulled away in the fourth and won by a final of 50-37.  Montrose's Justin Anderson had a handful of crowd pleasing dunks. He also led the Mustangs in scoring with 20 points.  Former Montrose Mustang Donnel Diggs led Takoma with 11 points.  

The entire tournament was a big success.  Teams up and down the east coast participated in the 5 game showcase.  McDonalds All-American Rodney Purvis out of Upper Room Christian in North Carolina was the biggest name on the docket.  There were many stars though.  For more you can visit More Than Basketball's website.

Bullis who finished second in the regular season behind Episcopal received a five for the regular season performance.  The six teams in the league receive a point value between one and six for their finish in both the regular season and the post season.  The two point totals are combined and who ever finishes with the most points is declared winner.  Georgetown Prep had no chance at winning the IAC, even if they won the championship game.  This is because they finished fourth in the regular season which would only give them a point total of three.  That combined with the six points awarded to the tournament winner would not have surpassed Bullis' point total.  If Georgetown Prep had won the championship game on Saturday, Bullis and Episcopal would have both finished with 10, giving them co-championships.

Saturday's game saw Bullis lead for almost the entire game.  Georgetown Prep would make a late charge and tie the game with less then a minute to go.  Bullis shot 25-32 from the free throw line Saturday while Prep went 11-16.  Bullis was led by senior forward Joe Hazel who scored 19 points and went 7-7 from the stripe. Nigel Pruitt added 8 points and 10 rebounds.  Prep was led by Junior Billah Abdul-Jalaal who scored a season high 17 points.

Scott Bolen was on absolute fire for Sherwood.  The senior dropped five 3-pointers, had a couple rim rattling dunks, a huge blocked shot, and even an ankle breaker.  But Magruder was so dominant that Bolen's performance will be on the bottom of the list of things remembered about this game..  JJ Epps showed why he is the quickest guard south of Baltimore, Nick Griffin showed why he is the purest shooter on maybe this side of the Mississippi, and Garland Owens just kept doing what he's been doing all year long; Getting monster dunks, monster rejections and being the horse that Magruder needs in the paint.

From the opening possession Scott Bolen showed why he is one of the best players in Montgomery County.  Bolen nailed a three on the first possession and put on a masterful performance.  He got a pair of break away dunks, and was on fire from the perimeter.  Magruder put multiple defenders on him but no one was able to slow him down.  Unfortunately Bolen doesn't have the supporting cast that Magruder does. Sherwood played one of their best quarters of the year to open up Friday's game.  Outside of their season opener versus DeMatha it may be the first time this year that Magruder has trailed by double digits. Magruder would use a 19-7 second quarter to turn the tide.  In the second half they would cruise to a 66-53 victory.

Magruder is loaded.  Every night they have one of four men who can step up and be "the man".  Tonight JJ Epps was the man.  For the first time this year he had a size advantage on an opponent.  "I was really surprised when they put him on me. I had to take advantage of it," Epps said about back-up point guard Mike Crooks of Sherwood (Crooks is listed at 5'9'' but there is no chance he is taller then 5'2'').  At 5'4'' Epps is always the smaller man.  People say Aquille Carr is the quickest player in the country, Epps can't be to far behind.  He has developed a very solid jumper that can extend behind the 3-point line.  He is a phenomenal facilitator and game manager, and has become an incredible finisher.  His full arsenal was on display Friday night.

Nick Griffin, who hit 10 3's in a game a couple weeks ago was lights out tonight again.  He connected on four triples tonight, had two offensive rebound putbacks, and a few slashing runners.  Garland Owens had a couple monster blocks Friday night to go along with a few big jams.  He has continued to work on his mid-range jumper and now shoots it in rythym without hesitating.  He is a superb free throw shooter for a big man(close to 70%).  The senior is still unsigned and has many potential suitors.

As the regular season is winding down there is one thing on Magruder's mind.  As JJ Epps put it "We have one goal this year, to win a state championship."  There is some competition in the 4A.  North Point is certainly the co-favorite along with Magruder to bring home the hardware.  Arundel, who was undefeated until last week is in the running as well.  PG County's Eleanor Roosevelt is in the running every year.  They finally have their starting point guard Akil Charles back, which enables them to slide Chaun Miller over to the 2.  They have multiple bigs, and they play tenacious defense.  The 4A will be a fun division to watch in a couple weeks.

Riverdale Baptist would walk away with a 78-76 over-time victory and they won in the luckiest of fashions.  With the score tied at 68 and 7.5 seconds left Riverdale Baptist's Devon Barnett stepped up to the line and missed his loan free throw after an and-one.  Takoma's Adrian Dixon grabbed the rebound and threw a long out let pass to Takoma center, 6'8'' Tai'Malik Marshall who had an uncontested lay-up to win the game and upset Riverdale Baptist.  Marshall didn't have a defender within 20 feet of him and the clock had ticked down to about two seconds when he took his last dribble and went to plant before dropping in the uncontested game winner.  Somehow Marshall tripped; it was unclear if the big man's uncertainty whether to dunk it or lay it in caused the miscue or if he just tripped over his own feet but he lost control of the ball and it went sailing up towards the basket, the buzzer sounded, and the two teams went to over-time.  It was the type of shot that Marshall (or any player) converts 999 times out of a thousand.

In over-time Riverdale Baptist got out to a five point lead half way through the four minute session.  But Takoma would make a run.  Jalen Williams would hit a jumper from the top of they key and then former Montrose Christian Mustang Donnel Diggs would convert on a contested drive to the basket with 59 seconds remaining.  Riverdale would draw a quick foul and Marquis Powell would split  a pair to tie the game at 74 with 31 seconds remaining.  Instead of holding for a last shot Tai'Malik Marshall would throw up a contested air ball from 14 feet and Takoma players swarmed the rebounder and gave a foul -- BUT THE GAME WAS TIED.  What a mental lapse.  Riverdale's Milan Durant would convert on both free throws and Riverdale trailed by two with 17 seconds to go in over-time.  After calling a time-out Riverdale stole the Takoma inbounds pass and just held the ball for over 10 seconds.  Why Takoma didnt take a quick foul we will never know.  Inexplicably Takoma gave a foul in a tie game with 17 seconds left, and then didn't give a foul down two with 15 seconds left.  Finally Takoma committed a foul and Olajuwon Lewis connected on both free throws with 5.2 seconds on the clock.  It was all but over.  Takoma managed to squander multiple chances when it seemed like the game was theirs to win on multiple occasions.

It was truly a great game from start to finish.  It was a high octane, fast paced game and the lead was going back and forth for the entire game.  Takoma would get out to six and eight point leads but Riverdale would fight back.  The game was really up for grabs.  Jalen Williams was tremendous.  The junior guard scored a season high 25 points including three 3-pointers and was Takoma's star offensively.  Riverdale's Olajuwon Lewis had a season high 20 and led an offensive attack that saw four Riverdale players score in double figures.  Riverdale's Brandon Peel was a beast on the defensive end.  In addition to his 14 points he finished the game with seven blocked shots.

Takoma was a real pleasure to watch.  In fact both team's were.  Riverdale Baptist has a rich basketball tradition and the type of play we saw out of them was expected.  Takoma has made serious strides.  It wasn't long ago that Takoma was in the bottom echelon of Private School's but they have acquired some serious talent.  Their leading scorer was suspended Thursday, yet they still played at a level that should have garnered a victory.  Takoma has two legit bigs; both underclassmen, some real leaders in the backcourt, and some guys who can score the ball.  It is obvious that they need a little help in terms of late-game situations, some basketball smarts if you will.  If they had the poise, and the experience that Riverdale has, they would have won the game.  But they had a handful of serious mental errors that ended up costing them.  Takoma will be heard from again.  Riverdale is legit.

Take a look into the 2009 documentary DC Assault - This is My Life, filmed, edited and created by my good friend and former owner of capitol Hoops, Tim Chialastri.

First Round - Tuesday, February 14, 2012

1. Episcopal receives a bye

2. Bullis receives a bye

3. Landon will host St. Stephens & St. Agnes

4. Georgetown Prep and St. Albans will play, but the higher seed will be determined by a coin flip.

Second Round – Friday, February 17, 201

1. Episcopal will host the winner of the Georgetown Prep vs. St. Albans game 6:00pm

2. Bullis will host the winner of Landon vs. St. Stephens & St. Agnes game 6:00pm

Third Round - Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 at Georgetown Prep

3:00 PM - the losers of the first round games will play to determine fifth/sixth place

5:00 PM - the losers of the two semi-final games will play to determine third/fourth place

7:00 PM - the winners of the two semi-final games will play to determine the tournament champion