Dan Gross/The Gazette

Gwynn Park High School’s Isaiah Miles looks toward the basket against River Hill Tuesday at the Stanley Martin Homes Basketball Tournament at Magruder High School.

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Gwynn Park High School’s Isaiah Miles looks toward the basket against River Hill Tuesday at the Stanley Martin Homes Basketball Tournament at Magruder High School.
Dan Gross/The Gazette

Gwynn Park High School’s C.J. Miller meets resistance from River Hill’s Gary Sandler during Tuesday’s Stanley Martin Homes Basketball Tournament at Magruder High School.

Dan Gross/The Gazette

Contrary to Gwynn Park High School basketball teams of old which have typically been propelled by a strong inside presence, this season’s Yellow Jackets are more of a perimeter squad. And that is fine when shots are falling, but they weren’t on Tuesday and it cost Gwynn Park in a 54-40 loss to Howard County’s River Hill in the Stanley Martin Homes Basketball Tournament final hosted by Montgomery County’s Magruder High.

“We didn’t score,” ninth-year Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick said. “We’re not a good team when we don’t score.”

The Yellow Jackets (4-4) looked good in Monday’s 66-55 win over traditional Frederick County power Urbana but on Tuesday they shot only 23 percent — 7 for 30 — from 3-point range. And River Hill’s defense did a good job limiting Gwynn Park’s second and third chances. Hawks coach Matt Graves said after watching the Yellow Jackets the previous day River Hill made a concerted effort to expand its defense out to try and stifle Gwynn Park’s productivity from long range.

“We knew they were a good 3-point shooting team so we wanted to get the defense out to their shooters,” Graves said. “We didn’t give them a lot of second and third chances to score and I think that was the difference in the game.”

Both coaches agreed the two-day tournament that featured four teams from four different counties was a great learning experience — these games don’t count toward region tournament standings. It was an opportunity to gain exposure to different playing styles than they’re used to facing. Glick said each county can have strengths in different areas and it’s good for teams to step out of their comfort zones.

In the evening’s consolation game, Magruder defeated Urbana, 81-71.

“[River Hill] is a great passing team, they have one of the best players in the state, they’re very unselfish and I think they have an excellent chance of getting to Comcast,” Glick said.

Gwynn Park kept itself within striking distance in a close first quarter that ended with the Hawks, who were paced by 6-foot-7 forward Charles Thomas IV with a game-high 15 points, leading 14-10. But River Hill’s 16-9, second-quarter run set the tone for the remainder of the game. The Hawks consistently kept themselves up by at least four points and led by double digits for much of the second half.

Three River Hill players scored 12 points or more — Thomas IV, Jayden Martin (14 points) and Gary Sandler (12). Marlon White (10) was Gwynn Park’s only double-digit scorer. Evan Crump added eight points.

“We came out and set the tone early, that’s something we needed to do,” Graves said. “We knew [Gwynn Park] is a very athletic team and can get up and down the floor.”

Though Gwynn Park struggled with consistency Tuesday, Glick said his young team is improving with every outing.

“We’re blessed to have been invited to such a great tournament,” Glick said. “[Tuesday] we couldn’t score and when you don’t score you’re not going to win a high school basketball game.”

jbeekman@gazette.net

River Hill 54, Gwynn Park 40

River Hill (5-4) 14 16 16 8 — 54

Gwynn Park (4-4) 10 9 12 9 — 40

River Hill — Charles Thomas IV 15, Jayden Martin 14, Gary Sandler 12, Marc DiSimone 5, Richard Mentle 5, Ben Borucki 2, Cole Gable 1.

Gwynn Park — Marlon White 10, Evan Crump 8, Isaiah Miles 6, Desha Curtis 5, Marquan Lee 2, Parris Miles 2, Aaron Parker 2.

Ninth-year Gwynn Park High School basketball coach Mike Glick sat down for approximately three seconds at the beginning of his Yellow Jackets’ late afternoon matchup against Frederick County power Urbana as part of the Stanley Martin Homes Basketball Tournament at Magruder High School. His short-lived rest came to a loud halt as the Gwynn Park head man bounded up from his chair, signaling his team.

“Double fist, double fist,” Glick shouted out, thrusting his two clenched fists into the air as his Yellow Jackets swarmed the ball from the opening whistle. For the first 4 minutes and 40 seconds of the game, the intense defensive pressure held Urbana scoreless as Gwynn Park jumped out to a 13-0 lead — an advantage that propelled them to a 66-55 win against the previously undefeated Hawks.

“That set the tone of the game,” Glick said of his team’s early run.

From the opening whistle, Gwynn Park enforced their physical, fast-paced style of play on an Urbana team that seemed more comfortable slowing things down in the halfcourt. When their “double fist” fullcourt pressure didn’t produce a turnover, the Yellow Jackets were able to lock down the Hawks’ scorers with a suffocating 2-3 zone that held Urbana without a field goal until Leon Thibault connected on a 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter — the Hawk’s eleventh attempt of the game.

“The game plan was to speed them up — make them play at a fast pace and make them play at our tempo,” Glick said. “It also enabled us to score better because sometimes we struggle scoring and we can get turnovers and easy buckets. I thought our kids executed it really, really well.”

For as slow of a start as Urbana got out to offensively, Gwynn Park was that hot, shooting 8-of-12 from the field in the first quarter, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Junior Aaron Parker, who finished the game with 14 points, converted on all of his four field goal attempts in the first quarter, including a number of tough finishes through traffic. Senior Desha Curtis, who finished with a team high 16 points, converted on his first three attempts from long range.

“I was looking to attack more,” Curtis said after the win. “Lately, I haven’t been attacking and I know my team needs more scoring [from] me. I came out tonight with an attacking mindset.”

Gwynn Park finished the game 23-of-50 (46 percent) from the field and went 10-of-18 (55 percent) from 3-point range — putting together a performance Glick called “the best we shot all year.”

“We are a 3-point shooting team and we have a lot of kids that can shoot,” Glick said. “If we’re hitting shots, we’re a different team. We struggle and we’ve struggled when we’re not hitting shots.”

Urbana, a semifinalist in the Class 3A state tournament last season, eventually woke up from their slumber, using small scoring runs to whittle the lead down from 15 and 16, to as close as five. But each time the Hawks threatened, Gwynn Park seemed to have an answer on either end of the court.

Throughout Monday’s game, Glick could be heard shouting, “Get Isaiah a touch,” referring to junior Isaiah Miles, who leads the team in scoring with 18.3 points per game. But against Urbana, Miles’ greatest contribution came not in the form of his 13 points, but rather in his key blocks, rebounds and assists that helped the young Yellow Jackets hold on to a key win heading into the new year.

“Isaiah is our most experienced player,” Glick said of the 6-foot-4 junior. “He’s our best player and Isaiah’s grown up as a player. He’s understanding basketball is more than just scoring ... he’s learning to let the game come to him.”

Tuesday night, Miles in particular will have his hands full in the title game of the tournament, as Gwynn Park will face River Hill, a school that features big man Charlie Thomas IV, who has signed to play at University of Wisconsin next season.

“I’ll enjoy playing against them,” he said with a smile.

agutekunst@gazette.net

Gwynn Park -- 20 17 11 18 -- 66

Urbana -- 12 17 11 15 -- 55

SCORING Gwynn Park -- Desha Curtis 16; Aaron Parker 14; Isaiah Miles 13; Marlon White 9; Parris Miles 6; Evan Crump 5; CJ Miller 3.

Urbana -- Ian Eversull 16; Jaik Thompson 16; Leon Thibault 13; Trey Lucas 10.

Potomac High School boys basketball coach Renard Johnson said he has pretty much seen senior guard Randall Broddie do it all in his three years coaching the Memphis recruit. Last season it was Broddie who took on a substantial amount of the scoring on a team filled with Division I college players during the Wolverines’ run to a 2A state championship. This year, drawing a great deal of defensive attention, Broddie has still impressed by scoring at will while still getting his teammates involved.

But Thursday night during an intense 3A/2A/1A League matchup at Gwynn Park, Johnson said he saw something from Broddie he hadn’t seen in a few months. He saw Randall Broddie coaching on the floor, a sight that brought a toothy grin to the fourth-year coach’s face. Broddie led all scorers with 24 points, carrying a severely depleted Potomac squad to a much-needed 55-52 win at a tough-nosed Gwynn Park team.

“I’ve seen him do it in years past,” Johnson said of his guard’s in-game directing. “But now he realizes, ‘Hey, [I’ve] got to coach these guys.’”

Broddie’s extra dose of on-court leadership Thursday night was no coincidence. Potomac, considered by many to be one of the top teams in the county coming into the season, had suffered two losses — 79-69 to Central on Friday and 83-53 to West Charlotte on Saturday — in the last week. The Wolverines were also ravaged by injury and absences. Shooting guard David Rose is still unavailable due to football commitments, guard Kaine Wilson is recovering from an ankle injury, and 6-foot-7 junior Karon Green is no longer with the team, according to Johnson.

To top it all off, co-captain Anthony Smith, a 6-foot-6 senior center drawing interest from some Division I programs, announced Thursday afternoon he would miss the remainder of the 2014-2015 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury he suffered Dec. 9 in a win over Friendly.

So when the dust settled, Johnson trotted out one true starter onto the court Thursday night. Luckily for Potomac, that one starter was the best player on the court.

“With a piece down, you have to pick up a bigger role and lead the guys,” Broddie said of his enhanced responsibilities. “I definitely tried to do that today.”

On a night where the Wolverines only managed to shoot 15-of-65 (23 percent) from the field, Broddie kept his team competitive until some teammates began to come on late.

With just over four minutes remaining and the Wolverines trailing 45-42, Wilson, who had been 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first three quarters, drilled a deep 3-pointer to tie things up. On the following possession, Gwynn Park junior Aaron Parker, who had led a second-half offensive resurgence for the Yellow Jackets, fouled out on a questionable charge call. Wilson drilled another 3-pointer to put the Wolverines up 48-45 with 3 minutes, 36 seconds remaining — a lead they would not relinquish. The league foes traded free throws and turnovers for the remaining three minutes before Potomac came out on top with a much-needed win.

“On a Thursday night, here at their gym, Christmas break is about to start, this was a heck of a win for us,” Johnson said. “It was a very tough win.”

Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick, in his ninth season at the Brandywine school, knew what his team was getting into with Broddie, a player he called, “as good as any player I’ve coached against in nine years in this league.” The Yellow Jackets came out in a box-and-one defense, doubling the Memphis recruit every time he touched the ball. And for a period, the pressure worked - Broddie got off to a slow start, committing uncharacteristic turnovers, forcing a few bad shots and shooting only 2-of-10 in the first half.

But when it got to crunch time, Gwynn Park’s inexperience proved to be their downfall, as a number of costly turnovers and defensive lapses cost the it a shot at victory.

“I’m proud of how we played, our intensity that we played with and how we played with togetherness,” Glick said. “We’re getting better as the season goes on.”

agutekunst@gazette.net

Potomac 12 8 15 20 — 55

Gwynn Park 11 10 15 16 — 52

SCORING

Potomac — Randall Broddie 24; Kaine Wilson 8; Iiron Buchanan 6; Gary Robertson 6; Anthony Davis 5; Andre Dixon 4; Emil Neugent.

Gwynn Park — Isaiah Miles 15; Evan Crump 11; Aaron Parker 10; Marion White 7; Parris Miles 4; CJ Miller 3; Artie Wills 2.

But when Wolverines coach Renard Johnson learned that his team would have to take on fellow 2A power Gwynn Park for the second time that season in the region semifinals, he became sick.

“I didn’t get any sleep that night,” Johnson said. “I was sick ... I’m serious. I hated it.”

Johnson’s dread for taking on the Yellow Jackets didn’t come from a place of animosity, but rather from a fear of familiarity. Gwynn Park, Douglass, Largo and Potomac made up a group that, for years, had battled for 2A supremacy. Each team knew one another inside and out, and the matchups had become annual heart-stopping affairs, coaches said.

This season, for the second time in three years, Johnson won’t need to worry about another playoff matchup with a 2A rival, as Potomac has moved to the 3A classification. When St. Charles High School (Waldorf) classified as a 2A school over the summer, Potomac, the most populated 2A school at the time, was bumped up to 3A once again in the middle of the cycle. It was a rare occurance since the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association reclassifies every two years.

In 2013 the Wolverines made a run to the 3A state championship game, where they fell to Milford Mill (Baltimore), 84-55. But, as Johnson explained, he won’t be losing any sleep over the move to the higher classification.

“I was more concerned when we went to 2A because [of] the level of competition in our league and the familiarity — that just didn’t feel right,” Johnson said. “It was the most nerve-racking thing ever. ... I’m relieved, to be quite honest, that we’re moving to the 3A.

“By no means am I taking the 3A lightly, but it’s just tough playing in that league and then having to play them in the playoffs.”

Johnson, as it turns out, isn’t the only coach that’s relieved.

“Any time you don’t have to play against Randall Broddie in the playoffs, that’s a sigh of relief,” Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick said.

Though the Wolverines may not have the firepower they boasted on last year’s state championship squad, they still return perhaps the county’s top talent in Broddie. A gritty guard, the senior floor general’s mix of athleticism and intelligence have captivated coaches since the Memphis recruit arrived at Potomac in 2012. Now, after playing with the likes of Dickson and Wiley, Broddie will sit squarely at the helm of the program, a role his coach says the senior is well prepared for.

“He’s been in the program for two years. He has a state championship. He knows what it takes to win those five games at the end,” Johnson said of his star guard. “There are going to be nights where I say, ‘You’ve got to win the game.’”

Broddie will undoubtedly be the subject of most opposing coaches’ gameplans — familiar foes not excluded. Glick and Douglass coach Tyrone Massenburg both watched as Broddie and the Wolverines defeated their teams en route to the regional title — an honor that the perennial powers have taken turns winning over the past few years. Gwynn Park took the 2A title in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Douglass raised the trophy in 2012 and Potomac, in 2014. Now, with Potomac gone, the door is open for a 2A team to restake their claim as the region’s best.

“It’s one less tough team in our region, that’s for sure,” Massenburg said of Potomac’s move. “Them moving on is just tougher for where they move to.”

But the regular season schedule remains intact, guaranteeing more of the back-breaking matchups the rivals have become so accustomed to.

“Douglass, Largo and Gwynn Park give us their best shot every year,” said Broddie, who noted that he’s never beaten Douglass at its gym. “I’m not taking any team for granted, especially those three.”

agutekunst@gazette.net