IJAMSVILLE, Md. – The postseason has become post time for the North Hagerstown boys basketball team.
After a regular season littered with injuries and 12-8 record which fell below expectations, the Hubs have bolted out of the gate and hit stride in the Class 3A West I playoffs.
No. 4-seeded North made a charge in the third quarter to cool off the red-hot and top-seeded Oakdale 57-52 in the bracket semifinals. With the victory, the Hubs will host No. 5 Frederick on Friday at 6 p.m. in the region final for the right to advance to the state quarterfinals.
Brayden Cespedes led the Hubs (14-8) with 18 points, while Joey Dorsey followed with 17, including four three-pointers.
With the victory, North ended Oakdale’s 17-game winning streak.
North trailed Oakdale 21-17 at the half, but used a 21-9 third-quarter outburst to vault into a 38-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
The win came on the heels of North’s 80-77 overtime victory over Tuscarora last Friday in the region quarterfinals. The Hubs squandered a 41-32 halftime lead only to win with some last-second heroics by Cespedes.
Cespedes added four rebounds and three assists for the game. Dorsey had seven rebounds.
Brock Lapole muscled for 15 points and six rebounds for the Hubs. Ja Ron Nicholson had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Oakdale was led by Alex Rodriguez and Keegan Marceron with 15 points each as the Bears’ season ends with a 20-4 record.
Frederick advanced to Friday’s final with a 56-45 upset of No. 2 Westminster.
Class 1A West Section II
Semifinals
No. 3 Boonsboro 48, No. 2 Smithsburg 44
SMITHSBURG, Md. – Boonsboro used four free throws – and a blocked shot – in the final 46 seconds to break a tie and defeat Smithsburg.
Jacob Tyler led Smithsburg with 15 points and eight rebounds but it wasn’t enough for the Leopards to avoid the upset by Boonsboro, moving the Warriors into the region final.
Smithsburg had defeated Boonsboro in both of their regular season games.
Boonsboro broke a 44-44 tie with :45.4 remaining in the game on a Hollis Briggs free throw. Seconds later, Blake Main gave the Warriors a two-point lead with another foul shot.
Smithsburg tried to take the lead but Harry Wells blocked Jaxon Teson’s three-point try from the left wing with :05 remaining. The Leopards were forced to foul and Carter Jackson buried a pair of free throws with :02.7 remaining to ice the win.
Teson added 10 points for the Leopards.
Boonsboro will travel to face top-seeded Brunswick of the region title and a trip to the state quarterfinals on Friday.
Class 2A West Section I
Semifinals
No. 3 Middletown 61, No. 2 Williamsport 52
No. 4 Century 48, No. 1 Poolesville 45
Final
Friday
No. 4 Century at No. 3 Middletown
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Shepherd 84, Lock Haven 80
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Guard Marcus Banks scored 22 points on Monday to lead Shepherd University to first-round win over Lock Haven in the PSAC East Basketball Tournament.
Shepherd shot 55.6 percent (20-36) in the first half to take a 45-30 advantage at the break.
The Rams (20-9) led by as many as 21 points in the second half before their lead dwindle to 82-80 on a jumper by Blake Deegan with 51 seconds remaining.
Banks drained a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left to secure the win.
Shepherd reached the 20-win mark for the third time (2013-14, 2024-25) under coach Justin Namolik. It’s the 13th 20-win season in program history.
Banks added eight assists and five rebounds.
Guard Colby White had 17 points and six boards, while forward Favor Okigweh had 15 points and 14 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the season. Guard Brody Davis had 13 points and six rebounds.
Keith Warren led the Bald Eagles with 28 points (10-19). Dyllon Scott added 17 points, while Deegan had nine points and nine rebounds.
The Rams travel to face California (Pa.) on Wednesday for the tournament quarterfinals.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Shepherd 70, Bloomsburg 53
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Kelly Leszcynski scored a game-high 19 points on Monday to lead Bloomsburg over Shepherd University in first-round PSAC East Basketball Tournament.
Forward Lamaria Estridge tossed in a team-high 16 points with four rebounds to pace the Rams, who end the season with an 11-16 record.
Guard Kara Wehner added 10 points, four boards, two assists, and a pair of steals. Forward Jenna Liska had 10 points and a team-high five rebounds.
Ava Stevenson had 17 points, seven assists and five boards for the Huskies (16-14).
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Shepherd Ranked Eighth in NCBWA Regional Poll
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Shepherd University (9-3) is ranked eighth in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Poll for March 2.
The Rams posted a 3-0 mark last week.
Seton Hill tops to poll with all 11 first-place votes, West Chester is second and Millersville is third.
Frostburg State is fourth, which Shippensburg checks in in ninth.
Shepherd 9, California (Pa.) 5
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Outfielder Brodie Pullen went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI on Sunday to pace Shepherd University over California (Pa.).
The Rams used a 10-hitt attack to extend their winning streak to three games.
After California took a 1-0 lead in the first, Shepherd tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Pullen doubled and scored on a ground out by Infielder Ryan Fluharty.
Shepherd took a 3-2 lead in the fourth keyed by a run-scoring triple by infielder Evan Rosario. First baseman Nik Rubendall hit a two-run blast in the fifth to key a three-run inning as the Rams took a 6-2 advantage.
The Rams added a run in the seventh when outfielder Ethan Jones drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, before Pullen ripped a two-run single in the eighth to give the Rams a 9-2 lead.
Shepherd pitcher Henry Ortiz, a North Hagerstown graduate, move to 3-0 by allowing two runs on three hits in five innings with four walks and a strikeout.
