HAGERSTOWN, Md. – North Hagerstown boys basketball team might feel like it was robbed on Wednesday.
The 80-57 loss to Frederick in the Mayland Class 3A West Section I regional championship game was the evidence after the Cadets pulled off an inside job.
Frederick overpowered North under the basket, led by Osborne Ehana’s 31-point outburst, to end the fourth-seed Hubs (14-10) hopes of advancing to the state quarterfinals. Instead, the fifth-seeded Cadets took that prize and the title after winning three road games in the region tournament.
“The big man just killed us inside,” said North coach Nate Naylor. “I think they felt like they could take advantage of us on the inside, because we don’t have true size inside. They did a lot of things to get their big guys to the ball inside.”
Frederick drove the ball to the middle in a number of angles to get to Ehana. The 6-foot-6 senior muscled his way to the basket or fired kickout passes to the three-point line to cause openings for the offense.
The Cadets were at their best in the third quarter, using a 20-0 run over a 4-minute, 47-second span to extend a clingy 43-37 edge to a 63-37 landslide, which didn’t end until North’s Brock Lapole scored a layup with :08.6 remaining in the period.
“In the second half, they just came out and they executed pretty well … Pretty solid,” Naylor said. “They got what they wanted. They were just prepared. They were well prepared. They took advantage of everything that they wanted to get.”
The onslaught took North out of its offense as the Cadets held down the Hubs’ top scorers – Brayden Cespedes and Joey Dorsey – to a combined 25 points.
North fell into the desperation zone and started misfiring on offense. Frederick held the Hubs to 38.5% shooting, including 5-of-22 from three-point range., and outrebounded them by a 35-20 count. The Hubs didn’t help themselves, either, by hitting only 12 of 21 foul shots.
The two teams traded blows in the first quarter with six lead changes and three ties.
North got a Dorsey free throw and a layup by TyQwell Fauntleroy in the last 45 seconds to own a 19-18 lead at the end of the period.
North led 26-24 after a Lapole 3-pointer with 4:21 remaining before the half. Frederick closed with an 11-4 run the end the half for a 35-30 lead at the intermission.
Ehana had 12 points in the first half while guard AJ Spencer added nine.
Frederick maintained the lead in the second half, leading by six before unloading the 20-point barrage.
“When they’re shots falling in, they’re getting what they want inside,” Naylor said. “I think it’s hard to make the right adjustment. There are probably some things we could have done to adjust better. We probably could have been better before. That’s on the coaches, though. Our players played their hearts out.”
Enhana scored 13 of his 15 third-quarter points in the run. Frederick scored 10 layups during the 28-point quarter, six of them in the 20-0 spree.
Overall, Frederick scored 22 close-range shots, on either layups or putback, which was all but five of their two-point baskets in the game. The Cadets also connected on seven 3-pointers.
Frederick led by as many as 26 points twice in the fourth quarter. The Cadets outscored the Hubs 45-27 in the second half, including 28-9 in the third quarter.
Spencer backed Enhana with 19 points, most coming on hard drives and slick underhand scoop layups.
North put four scorers in double figures led by Lapole and Dorsey with 13 each. Cespedes added 12 and Ja Ron Nicholson had 10.
Frederick advances to the play as one of the final eight teams in the Class 3A bracket. The eight teams will be reseeded to create the pairings.
For the Hubs, it’s time for the offseason as they prepare for the 2026-27 season without starters Michael Bell, Fauntleroy and Dorsey, who will all graduate.
“I’m proud of work,” Naylor said. “The kids answered the bell for us every time. We challenged them and they answered the bell.
“I’m proud of them. I wouldn’t want to coach any other group. We lose a couple seniors, but the rest of them will be back. We’ll get to work.”
Class 1A West Section II Region final
No. 1 Brunswick 55, No.3 Boonsboro 51
Brunswick advances to the Class 1A sta
