About a year ago, Brayden Cespedes was the star of the show.
The then-North Hagerstown sophomore teamed up for a half-court steal and drove the floor for an uncontested layup as the final buzzer sounded for an exhilarating 54-52 win over Tuscarora in the Maryland Class 3A playoffs last March.
But on Wednesday, Cespedes was more than happy to be just the special guest star. Now an experienced junior, he helped his younger teammates to enjoy all the thrills in the Hubs’ 80-77 win over crosstown rival South Hagerstown.
“This is even better, because those were my teammates that came through in the clutch this time.,” Cespedes said. “It wasn’t just me. I can’t do it without them … All my coaches, all my teammates. They trust in me and I believe in them, too. So, I know they’ll come up in clutch for all of us.”
In reality, it could have been Cespedes’ show again, but he ended up doing dirty work with 41 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
This spotlight swung to Tristan Redick, who buried a three-pointer out of the right corner with :14.3 to give North the lead. Then a foul sequence with Micheal Bell and freshman Brock Lapole each hitting one free throw with :04.1 left that gave North all the points it needed.
And even then, it wasn’t over. South rushed the floor for a final shot. The Rebels’ D.J. Wade launched a three – just over the halfcourt line at the buzzer – that was halfway down the basket but rattled three times before squirting out to seal the three-point verdict.
“You know, sometimes you just gotta figure out a way to win,” said North coach Nate Naylor, as the Hubs broke a six-game losing streak. “And I think tonight we figured out a way to win. Everyone will talk about (Cespedes) night to night, but it’s the things that those young players did tonight that really kind of set the tone.”
The game was a wild, physical ride with the Rebels (5-13) taking the early lead and settling for a 32-29 advantage at the half. The second half featured 11 of the 12 ties in the game and all eight lead changes.
With all that, the game was tied at 50-50 after three quarters. It came down to the final 1:14 after South tied it at 73 on a Nazir Mitchell 3-pointer.
The two teams traded baskets before Tavon Harris sank a 12-footer to give South a 77-75 lead and forced North to take a time out with :24.5 remaining.
As expected, the ball was in Cespedes’ hands, but when the South defense came out to challenge, he fired the ball to the right corner in the waiting hands of Redick, who had his feet set and was ready to shoot. It was the first of three options for the play.”
“I believed in him. He’s a shooter,” Cespedes said. “Everybody works on their shot every day, so he was open, I kicked it, and he hit the shot.
The high-arching shot splashed in for three and a 78-77 lead.
We had a little pressure (from South),” Redick said. “So, I was open. I’m usually a shooter, so we’re looking to play for that shot. Take the pressure off (Cespedes). I tried to get a good look. “I said ‘I got to make this’ when I got the ball.”
The shot was pure and it fit plan set come out of the timeout.
“(Redick) shoots the ball pretty well, and when he doesn’t have to think about it, it’s more than likely it’s going in,” Naylor said. “We kind of drew that up after the timeout. You know, we try to put him in positions in practice to feel that type of pressure, and, you know, he executed on it tonight. He had a great angle.”
For South and coach Shan Santell, it was another body blow in a season where the Rebels have taken many punches. This one was so close, but it led to an eighth-straight loss.
“I don’t know. I mean, there’s something in the water lately,” Santell said.” Everybody that plays us wants to have the game of their lives. Cespedes is unbelievable.
“I tried every defense we have – Press, 2-3 (zone), man, double team, box-and-one. He just kept getting to the paint, and when he didn’t, those guys hit the threes. That’s to their credit. I was going to live with them hitting threes and they hit a ton of them in the second half, That was the deciding factor in my opinion.”
But Santell wasn’t shocked that Cespedes didn’t take the go-ahead shot.
“He’s unselfish,” Santell said. “He’s going to make the right basketball play. So, I’ll live with that. I’ll live with him kicking it out for a three. That kid made a good shot.”
South turned over the all on the ensuing possession, leading to Bell getting fouled on a move to the basket. He hit the first of his two shots with :06.1 remaining. His missed was rebounded by Lapole, who hit his second of two shots with :04 remaining for the three-point lead before South’s desperation try for a tie.
“You know, we work on that every day and we work on it in real time,” Bell said. “I put concentration in on every shot, but you have to trust yourself in that situation.”
Lost a little in the heroics of his teammates was the battle Cespedes fought to help keep the Hubs in the game. He slashed to the basket with straight drives and spin moves. He played tight defense and he went in and rebounded against the taller Rebels.
Cespedes’ asterisk for his performances was he tied former South star David Miner for the most points scored in a North-South rivalry game. Miner, Washington County’s all-time leading scorer, set the mark in 2004.
Ja Ron Nicholson backed Cespedes with 17 points, including four critical three-pointers – three of them in the fourth quarter. Redick had 13 points, including three threes. North had nine as a team.
South was led by Luke Leisinger with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Avery Cosley added 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Mitchell had 11 points and four steals.
And the reward for the Hubs and Rebels? They meet again on Friday at South in a rematch. Wednesday’s game was rescheduled because of the January’s snowstorm.
“You know (the Rebels) played with heart. They played with energy,” Santell said. “The ball’s just not bouncing our way right now. We’re trying to come together as a team, and I keep telling them to keep battling through adversity and good things will happen. It’s getting hard. I keep saying it,
“I’m hoping Friday night we can turn around and these guys can have something to be proud of. I am (looking forward to it). I told them after a game like this despite our record, and I think a lot of people hear how good this game was, and there won’t be a seat to be found at Rebel Field House.”
