BERLIN – After winning the regional championship last Thursday, Stephen Decatur’s boys basketball team’s playoff run grinded to a halt Saturday night.
In the quarterfinals of the MPSSAA Class 3A boys basketball tournament, the Damascus Hornets crushed the Seahawks, 82-52. Decatur got off to a slow start, falling behind 14-6 in the first quarter before taking the lead briefly in the second quarter. At halftime, however, the Hornets were up by 11 over the Seahawks. The second half was all Damascus, scoring 39 points to Decatur’s 20 to cruise to a 82-52 playoff win to advance to the state’s semifinals, which were held this week. On Tuesday, Damascus won in the state final four over Frederick, 53-50, to earn a matchup with City College in the 3A finals.
In a losing effort, junior Jayden Hudson scored 16 points, followed by sophomore Davin Chandler’s 12 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Seahawks were junior Brycen Coleman, nine points; sophomore Trybe Wise with eight points; sophomore Noah Tucker with five tallies; and sophomore Zakhari Baker had a bucket.
Two days before the season came to an end, Decatur was flying high with a 12-point win to capture the regional title over Northeast. The Seahawks controlled most of the game, leading by five at halftime. Decatur stretched the lead in the third and fourth quarters, gaining a 12-point advantage in the final quarter with six minutes to play.
A balanced scoring attack propelled Decatur with junior Brycen Coleman leading the way with 18 points. Also supporting on offense were Trybe Wise, 17 points; Jayden Hudson, 13 points; and Zakhari Baker and Davin Chandler with 12 points apiece.
Decatur finished the season 18-7 overall with a 12-4 record in the Bayside South conference.