Elkton Forges Own Reversal Of Fortune In Hoops Playoffs

     If the purpose of high school sports is to be an extension of the classroom, the Elkton High School boys basketball team have already graduated with honors after their 69-64 win at Edgewood tonight in the Maryland State Playoffs.

     “The took it all away from us,” said Coach Steve Smith, “Now we have it back.” Smith was referring to the nineteen wins the Golden Elks had to give back when it was learned Raimek Taylor was ineligible to play.

     The Taylor situation got even worse before it got better, his suspension was reduced in time for him to join his Elkton teammates in the playoffs.

    Before the “readjustment” of wins and losses the Edgewood and Elkton squads were evenly matched in talent, playing record and in prior matchups. The first quarter of tonight’s tilt played out that way with the Rams holding a 13-11 lead.  In the second frame, Edgewood made a sustained run to go into halftime with a 10-point lead.

     Coach Smith implored his team during halftime to make their own run and made a defensive switch to a zone he declined to name for fear his next opponent might make an adjustment.

     The speech worked and the new defense worked. Elkton outscored Edgewood 27-9 in the third period to erase their deficit and grab a lead they would never relinquish.

     As each team fought to extend their seasons and playoff runs, it was free throws from the charity stripe that played an integral role. While the Rams made only five of ten foul shots in the second half, the Golden Elks knocked down eleven of thirteen.

     Edgewood’s Van Rolle led the Rams with 19 points, while Elkton had four players in double digits.  Malachi Seney led all scorers with 20 points and Sterling Cruz added in 18 points.

     Next up for the Golden Elks is Patterson Mill on the road in Bel Air in the Sectional Semifinal on Thursday.

02-28-12 Elkton v Edgewood HS Basketball Playoffs - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

The Best 2-21 Team In The State? First Round Hoops Playoff Action

      They might be the best 2-21 team you will ever see play. With Elkton’s 78-62 playoff win at home against North East in the opening round of the State Championships, the Golden Elks still have a chance to win it all.

     The last weeks of the season brought controversy and disappointment for the Elkton squad. The Golden Elks were forced to forfeit all of their regular season wins, save their season ending win after the forfeits, to give away all 19 wins in their 19-2 season.

     In spite of efforts by Elkton to race out to an early lead, North East made a fight of it in the first period. Indian Maurice Dickey buried three three-pointers, including a trifecta at the buzzer, to cut the Elkton lead to 18-16 after one.

     Elkton turned on their defense and the press in the second period, holding North East to three baskets and ten points. The Golden Elks put up 25 points in the second frame and blew the game wide open.

     North East’s senior leaders did their best to keep the game close. Maurice Dickey carded five three-pointers for the game and 21 points to lead the Indians. Kendall Danglade added 20 points.

     Malachi Seney posted 25 points for the Golden Elks to lead all scorers in a team effort that had ten different players putting points on the board.

     After forging their double-digit lead in the second period, the Golden Elks never let off the gas forcing numerous Indian turnovers.  In spite of eight three-pointers for the contest, North East never mounted a serious second half run, ending their season with a sixteen point loss.

     The Golden Elks have now started a new winning streak, currently at two games, and will face the winner of tonight’s Fallston-Edgewood matchup.

02-24-12 Elkton v North East Boys Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Seven Cecil Wrestlers Claim UCBAC Titles, Earn Trips To Regionals

     Wrestlers from Cecil County schools positioned themselves for a banner day in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference wrestling finals. Local grapplers were in a position to walk away with eleven of the 14 titles – the next step along the road to the State Championships on March 3^rd and 4^th in College Park.

     Seven Cecil wrestlers claimed first place and earned trips to next week’s Regional Tournament in Easton, Maryland. Rising Sun was also awarded a trophy for claiming the regular season UCBAC title.

106 – Tyear Castle, Bohemia Manor, lost by a score of 5-0 to finish in 2^nd Place.

113 – Chris Brown, Perryville, won by fall to win his weight class.

120 – Weston Lynn, Rising Sun, defeated A.J. Jourdan, Bohemia Manor 9-6 to win his weight class.

126 – Andrew Brown, Perryville, won by fall to win his weight class.

138 – Amos “Buddy” Harlan, Perryville, defeated Paul Keeley, North East, 6-5 to win his weight class.

152 – Anthony Cimorosi, Rising Sun, won by fall to win his weight class.

160 – Lance Eveland, Rising Sun, won by a score of 4-2 to win his weight class.

170 – Msema Msacki, Elkton, lost by fall to finish in 2^nd Place.

182 – Jake Ritter, Perryville, lost by a score of 8-0 to finish in 2^nd Place.

195 – Jake Brown, Rising Sun, lost by a score of 8-1 to finish in 2^nd Place.

285 – Ty McGee, Rising Sun, won by a score of 3-2 to win his weight class.

02-18-12 UCBAC Wrestling Tournament - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Lady Elks Pounce Host Perryville 61-18

     Elkton’s Lady Golden Elks wasted no time letting host Perryville know who would be in control of tonight’s matchup.  The Lady Elks sprinted out to a 10-0 lead, held the Lady Panthers without a basket until the three minute mark in the first frame, extended to a 29-2 lead and closed out the half ahead 36-9.

     The Lady Panthers were outrebounded, committed several turnovers that led to baskets and were generally outmatched in tonight’s tilt against Elkton. Leading the Elks in scoring with 19 points was Desiree Foye, followed by Lena Hicks with 16 points. Amber Wood led the Panthers with eights points.

     The Elks finished the game by not allowing a Panther basket in the fourth quarter and winning by a final score of 61-18.

02-15-12 Elkton v Perryville Girls Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Elkton Presses Way To 79-52 Win Against Visiting Perryville

     There was no doubt what the game plan for the host Elkton Golden Elks against the visiting Perryville Panthers. Press. Press early, press often and double-team Panther Gabe Sherrod. It worked.  The Golden Elks routed the Panthers 79-52.

     The constant pressure from the outset led to sloppy play on both ends of the court. The first points weren’t scored until three minutes into the game. After that, the Elkton press led to turnover after turnover and the Elks built an insurmountable lead. At the half, Elkton held a 32-19 lead.

     Elkton’s Sterling Cruz led the team with 15 points, but there were four Elks who made it into double-digits.  Perryville’s Gabe Sherrod led all scorers with 20 points.

    The constant pressure by the Golden Elks led to some tense moments during the game, words were exchanged and ended with Elkton getting slapped with a technical foul.  By that point, the decision for Elkton was well in hand, moving them to an 18-2 record, while dropping Perryville to 6-12.

     

02-08-12 Elkton High School v Perryville Boy's Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Elkton Routs Rising Sun 83-64 On The Road

     Three numbers tell the story of the Elkton’s defeat of Rising Sun High School in boy basketball on Monday night – 83, 64 and 51.

     The first number is Elkton’s score, the second is Rising Sun’s score and the final number is the total number of fouls for both teams. Add in a several technical fouls on both sides and you get an idea how heated this matchup of Cecil County rivals was.

     Elkton built an early lead and spread the scoring around, with each scorer tallying six points in the second quarter. The Golden Elks went into halftime ahead of the Tigers 50-22.

     Rising Sun Tiger guard Andre Moore led all scorers with 26 points, but 26 team fouls and 2 technical fouls made overcoming the Golden Elk lead nearly impossible. Ramiell Taylor led Elkton in scoring with 21 points.

01-09-12 Elkton v Rising Sun HS BBall - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Sixteen Schools Meet At Bohemia Manor For 16th Wrestling Invitational

   The weekend of the Battle at the Bridge Invitational is a big one for Cecil County high school wrestling. Dozens of wrestlers, representing sixteen schools, from as far away as Virginia and New Jersey converged on host Bohemia Manor High School in Chesapeake City this Friday and Saturday to compete.

     The tournament, in its 16th Edition, offered a chance for the five schools from Cecil County to test their mettle against these rival schools.

     Many local wrestlers made it through pool play with a chance to vie for a meet championship, but no match was more anticipated or heated than the semi-final pairing of Elkton's Timmy Taylor and Rising Sun's Joe Jurgans.  Before a packed field house at Bohemia Manor, Jurgans tallied early takedowns and reversals to open up a large lead and came away with the win against the previosuly undefeated Taylor.

     In the slideshow below are scenes from throughout the day at Bo Manor. Enjoy.

01-07-12 Battle At The Bridge Wrestling - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Elkton's Undefeated Season Ends In Aberdeen

     The Elkton Golden Eagles tried to keep their undefeated season intact, making a late charge to get within four points of the host Aberdeen Eagles.  The senior-laden team faltered down the stretch though, eventually losing 64-53.

     

 Senior guard Raimek Taylor led Elkton scoring 20 points, with fifteen of those points in the second half.

     

    Elkton fell behind Aberdeen early and sat five points back at 28-23 going into halftime.  The Aberdeen squad came out strong for the second half and extended their lead into double digits for much of the third and fourth periods.

      

     With 2:38 left in the game, the score sat at 54-50 and Elkton drawing closer. The Golden Eagles then committed some of untimely fouls and ruined any chance of a comeback. The loss dropped Elkton to 6-1 on the season. Next up for the Golden Eagles is an away game at Havre de Grace this Friday.

01-04-12 Elkton v Aberdeen HS Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Perryville Loses To Patterson Mill On Tiebreaker

     With two wrestlers to go, the Perryville Panthers held a 36-24 lead and could only lose if they suffered two pins.  Minutes later, coaches and the referee were sorting out a 36-36 tie. After going to the third tie breaker, the Patterson Mill Huskies walked away with one extra point and the 37-36 victory.

     The match between Perryville and Patterson Mill was the feature matchup of the three-team meet. The host Elkton Golden Eagles also competed, but with only five wrestlers dressed could not compete for a victory against either rival.

     Behind early pins by Taylor Dimauro, wrestling at 113 pounds, and Chris Brown, wrestling at 120 pounds, the Panthers took an early lead. The Huskies clawed their way back into the match and sealed the victory with those back-to-back pins.


     Although they never had a chance to compete for a win, Elkton’s Timmy Taylor did pin his Patterson Mill foe for a victory.

01-03-12 Perryville, Elkton and Patterson Mill HS Wrestling - Images by Eclipse Sportswire