Springbrook remains unbeaten

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo j. adam fenster⁄the gazette Springbrook’s Marcus Cotton (left) puts up a shot over the defense of Whitman’s Andrew Leonard (25) during the Blue Devils’ 51-48 win last Thursday in Silver Spring.

Their last three wins have been come-from-behind victories, and last Thursday’s was no different. Springbrook maintained its untarnished record, erasing a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Whitman, 51-48 at home.

Blue Devils junior guard C.J. Garner, who scored a team-high 17 points, clinched the win in the final seconds, picking off a Whitman pass and converting the breakaway layup to give Springbrook a two-possession lead with 10 seconds left on the clock. Whitman’s Matt Kaler snuck in a jumper before the buzzer for the final margin.

‘‘That steal was huge,” Springbrook coach Tom Crowell said. ‘‘We were just trying to defend the three-point shot. That would have tied the game. We just pressured them. ... The last three games, we’ve fallen behind early. We haven’t been shooting as well. But the boys scrap and claw their way back in. They’re just playing hard right now.”

Though Springbrook (6-0 overall, 2-0 in the Montgomery 4A East Division) is a senior-laden team, it’s playing with an entirely new starting lineup from last year’s 18-6 squad. The Blue Devils don’t have the same star power of recent years with David Brewster (19 points per game last season) and Sheridan Price (16 points), among others, having graduated. But they have proven they can be just as effective with the intangibles — mentality and heart.

It was evident Thursday. Springbrook trailed, 34-24, at halftime and played catchup for the majority of the third quarter, which ended with Whitman leading, 43-40. Springbrook, behind strong performances from senior guard Micah Perry (14 points) and senior forward Eric Johnson (12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals), maintained its composure and outscored the Vikings 11-5 in the final quarter to seal the gratifying victory.

‘‘Right now, we’re really relying on our team play,” Crowell said. ‘‘That’s what we emphasize. Whitman has a very good basketball team. They kept their lead throughout, we were just able to whittle away at it.”

The defending Class 4A state champion Vikings (1-4, 0-2 in the 4A East) are off to a slow start. But three of their four losses have been by less than six points. They have the tools to be successful — the offensive aggression and pressure defense. They just haven’t been able to put it together consistently yet.

But coach Chris Lun is confident his charges will learn to do so quickly. Thursday’s loss was disappointing, but Whitman proved, once again, it’s right up there with the best.

‘‘Instead of putting Springbrook away, we let them back in the game,” Lun said. ‘‘The problem is, our defense is solid, but we’re still waiting, we’re not hitting the tough shots down the stretch yet. Miss a cut to the baseline once or twice, miss on closing out once or twice, and that makes the difference in the game. ... We’re only five games into the season. The last thing we’re going to do is put our heads down. We’ll fix what needs fixing.”

Whitman prided itself on stingy defense last season, and the Vikings have that same mindset again this year. They have allowed their opponents an average of just 48 points per game. Thursday, they held a team that has averaged 63 points to just 51.

Whitman was led in scoring by senior guard Mikey Fitzpatrick (14 points), senior forward Sam Burum (11 points) and senior guard Antoine White (9 points).

‘‘This was a tough loss,” Lun said. ‘‘But we can bounce back. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. And if we’re going to stumble, I’d rather it be out of the starting blocks. We, no doubt, have things to fix, things we’re missing. But we’ll be O.K. I’m not worried.”

Whitman was able to exploit some of Springbrook’s weaknesses. But there’s a reason the Blue Devils haven’t faltered yet. They have perseverance. If they continue to tighten up their play, they just might prove to be indestructible this season.

‘‘We don’t have a lot of size, but we have quickness,” Crowell said. ‘‘Our execution can get a lot better. But it’s still December. The season is early. This doesn’t really mean anything. They don’t worry about what your record was in mid-December. They worry about what your record is in March.”