SALISBURY- The 33rd Annual Governor’s Cup holiday basketball number got off to a fast start this week with championships claimed in the early brackets and mixed results for some of the local teams participating.
The Governor’s Challenge has long been a staple of the holiday basketball tournament scene on the shore. For years, it has featured the top boys’ high school basketball teams from both Maryland and Delaware competing against each other for bragging rights in the neighboring states along with signature desserts on the line for both states’ governors. Now in its 33rd year, the tournament has expanded this year and is hosting teams from all over the region including Maryland and Delaware, of course, along with New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
A key contributor in the growth in this year’s event has come from the tournament’s partnership with DMVelite Showcase Events. The partnership has attracted top talent from around the region and the addition of the DMVelite Showcase. The showcase includes a mix of local teams and top programs from around the region to be featured in prime time.
Through the first two days of the tournament last Friday and Saturday, championships were awarded in five brackets. Thurgood Marshall claimed the championship in Bracket 1, Aberdeen won the title in Bracket 2, Seaford won the championship in Bracket 3, St. Joseph by the Sea won the title in Bracket 4 and Edmondson won the championship in Bracket 5. The tournament resumed on Monday and Tuesday although the results had not been posted.
Locally, Stephen Decatur lost its two games in the Governor’s Challenge, falling to eventual champion Aberdeen, 74-36, and Delmar, 80-52. Decatur hung with Aberdeen early, but eventually wore down against a deeper, bigger team. The Seahawks trailed 17-12 after the firsts quarter and had cut the deficit to 28-25 at the half. Aberdeen outscored the Seahawks, 21-4, in the decisive third quarter and pulled away for the 74-36 win.
Parkside split its two games, edging Patterson in its opener. The Rams were undefeated on the young season coming in and got everything it could handle from Patterson. Former Decatur standout Colen Gaynor, who transferred to Parkside this year, led the Rams with 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and four steals as Parkside held on for the 69-67 win. In its second game, Parkside fell to Friends, 54-52, for its first loss of the season.
The tournament resumed on Monday with Worcester Prep taking on North Dorchester in a rare 9 a.m. start. The Mallards trailed 15-14 after the first quarter and 26-20 at the half before North Dorchester pulled away for the 53-43 win. Nonetheless, it was an impressive first start for Worcester, which was making its first appearance in the annual tournament.