BRANDYWINE HUNDRED — After suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss the night before against Salesianum, the last thing the Spartans needed was another close call when they met Brandywine for a matinee on Feb. 12. That, however, is exactly what they got, but this time, the game ended with jubilation. Chad Dohl caught a pass from Jabri White in mid-air, then laid the ball in as time expired to lift the Spartans to a 52-51 overtime win.
The Spartans jumped and danced around the court at Brandywine High School as the home crowd sat stunned. It was much different from Friday night, when Saint Mark’s missed an opportunity to upset Salesianum after leading by seven points in the fourth quarter before falling in overtime.
Against the Bulldogs, Saint Mark’s took a 50-47 lead 90 seconds into the four-minute extra period when Prince DeWitt knocked down a layup while taking a bump from a defender. His shot was good, as was his free throw. It didn’t take long for Brandywine to answer. Nathan Zoladkiewicz hit a free throw, then missed the second.
Crisdon Wright grabbed the rebound and flung it across the court to Jahmer Richards-Donald. His corner offering swished through for a three-pointer, giving the Bulldogs a 51-50 lead. Neither team could score again on multiple opportunities until the clock neared all zeroes. After a timeout with 2.6 seconds on the clock, James Baffone began the magic with the long pass to White, who was at the foul line extended left.
White squared as if he was going to attempt a three-pointer, but as two defenders closed in on him, he noticed Dohl all alone under the basket. White send an overhead pass to a leaping Dohl, who caught the ball and released the shot without coming back down. As the final horn sounded, the ball hung on the rim for a second before falling through.
It was a fitting conclusion to a game whose results were uncertain for more than the regulation 32 minutes. The Spartans had a four-point halftime lead, but quickly stretched that. Three-pointers by White and Chase Wright, followed by a layup from a wide-open Gavin Marks, put Saint Mark’s ahead, 31-21 with 3:40 left in the third.
But the Spartans would not get any more points in the quarter. Brandywine, on the other hand, cut the lead to five when Richards-Donald hit from distance, and Nia-Gere Wright fired up another triple as the buzzer sounded to get the Bulldogs within two with eight minutes to go.
Richards-Donald tied the game and pushed the Brandywine run to 10 points less than a minute into the fourth. The teams traded a few hoops, but the Bulldogs used their big rebounding advantage to take a 37-35 lead on a bucket by Zoladkiewicz. Chase Wright catapulted the Spartans back into the lead with another three, and it was still a one-point Saint Mark’s advantage after the teams split the next four points.
The Spartans found themselves in a pickle after Richards-Donald found himself open on the left wing and nailed a three-pointer, then did the same from the right wing the next time down the floor, pushing the lead to five — the Bulldogs biggest of the afternoon — with 1:18 to go.
It was 47-42 Brandywine when DeWitt drove the lane and scored while being fouled with 21.6 seconds to go. He completed the three-point play to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to a pair. The Bulldogs missed the front end of a one-and-one, and this time, the Spartans got the rebound and called timeout. Out of the break, White broke toward the basket, caught the inbounds pass and knocked down a layup with 5.2 seconds left. The Bulldogs called a timeout, but they could not bring the game to an end in regulation.
Chase Wright had four three-pointers and tied for Saint Mark’s scoring honors with DeWitt with 14. White had 13. The Spartans improved to 9-8 and host Newark Charter on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.
Three Bulldogs reached double figures, led by Zoladkiewicz with 15. Richards-Donald had 14, and Omar Berthe added 12. Brandywine (9-9) stays home for its next game, which is Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. against Howard.
All photos by Mike Lang.
