What a playoff win feels like
Check out Ryan Finn's occasional blog for CMSportsNet, where he will post his thoughts and experiences from playing high school sports in Carroll County.
There is not any word that I could use to describe the win that we got on Tuesday. We faced Southern (Anne Arundel) on Feb. 28. Even with all the nerves, we came out firing.
Here is a deeper dive into the outcome of the game, and the many highlighted plays from the regional semifinal from my point of view.
First Half
At the end of the day, we have to give credit to Southern, they were a very talented team. The game started off with both teams trading buckets back and forth.
Guys like Andrew Marcinko, Ben Chenoweth, and Peyton Conrad were scoring with ease. Not to mention that Ryan Matthews was filling up the stat sheet with rebounds.
At the end of the first half, it was Century 24, Southern 22. Even with the close score, Coach George Wunder and our team knew we were minutes from breaking away in this game.
3rd Quarter
After the half, our team came out "guns blazing." Our defense continued to be solid, which helped us lead to a 23-point third quarter for our team. This was highlighted by a behind-the-back pass from Marcinko to Conrad to really get the crowd excited.
After the third, the score was 47-34. We had just gone on a 23-12 run, finally looking for a playoff win. Although playing solid, Southern started to push and gain momentum during the fourth quarter.
4th quarter
Even with the big lead, Southern started to chip away and come back. At one point, it was a six-point game. Things started to get tight for us, as Marcinko fouled out with about 3 minutes left.
One of the biggest moments in the game that really pushed the momentum comes from Connor Allen. Our guard Jake Winkles gets fouled, and gets injured for a play or two. We needed a sharpshooter to come off the bench and knock these two down.
Allen comes off the bench cold, and knocks down both to give us a 9-point lead with 2 minutes left to play. These free throws seemed to be the dagger, as it gave us a swing in momentum, helping us eventually win the game.
After the game
Our mood after the game was ecstatic, but focused. All our fans went into a craze, but that didn't stop us from dialing in on the fact that our job is not finished.
We face Liberty in the Class 2A West Region 1 final tonight (March 2). They have gotten the best of us over the last couple years, but we are looking to change the tide and go win a regional championship for our team and our fans.