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Words: Anna Mitchell
Photos: Caitlin Martin
Ellicott City, MD – On Tuesday, February 26, the 14-8 Eagles boys’ basketball team began their journey in the playoffs. They faced off against the 13-0 Stephen Decatur High School Seahawks. Stephen Decatur, a 3A school, is located in between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay in Berlin, Maryland. Though it is unusual for a team to travel two and a half hours and over the Bay Bridge to play a match, the Seahawks made the lengthy trip to Centennial for the first round of playoffs.
With tip-off at 5:30 PM, there was a lot of positive energy in the gym. The student section was packed with almost every student wearing red. The fans began with a lot of intensity and loud cheers, as the Eagles snatched offensive rebounds and converted layups. They went on an early run, holding the Seahawks to single digits for almost all of the first quarter. The score at the half was 23-17, Eagles.
The power in the gym decreased as the game progressed. The Eagles extended their lead to fluctuating around twenty points at some moments in the match. The Seahawks could not keep up with the Eagles’ strong crashing of the boards that allowed them multiple offensive rebounds. The Eagles also intercepted many of the Seahawks’ passes to get wide-open layups or another scoring possession.
Although the Seahawks cut the Eagles’ lead to 5 points with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles weren’t going home after their defeat that began from the match’s tip-off. The final score was 53-37, Eagles.
The Stephen Decatur Seahawks headed home on their long bus ride after a tough loss. Though the end of their season, the Eagles will progress to the second round. On Thursday, February 28, the Eagles will travel to River Hill High School to face off with their boys’ team at 5:30 PM.
