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William Penn’s Markee Johnson (right) gets the only field goal of overtime in front of St. Georges’ Nah’Shon Hyland during William Penn’s 37-31 overtime win Thursday.
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St. Georges’ Vincent Kent shoots against William Penn’s Calleem Hucks during William Penn’s 37-31 overtime win Thursday.
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St. Georges’ Lamar Hamrick grabs a rebound as William Penn’s Markee Johnson defends during William Penn’s 37-31 overtime win Thursday.
NEW CASTLE – If defense wins championships, William Penn and St. Georges may square off again in the championship game of the state boys basketball tournament.
The fourth-ranked Colonials and second-ranked Hawks battled through 36 in-your-face minutes on Thursday night before William Penn emerged with a 37-31, overtime victory before a packed house in its home gym.
Both teams shot only 23.1 percent from the field, as the Colonials made 12 of 52 and the Hawks hit 9 of 39. But it wasn’t poor offensive execution. The defense from both teams was stellar.
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William Penn’s Jermal Crumel (left) and St. Georges’ Kyson Rawls converge on a loose ball during William Penn’s 37-31 overtime win Thursday.
“Every single basket was a battle,” William Penn coach Steve Christensen said. “It was just one of those old-school, rough-and-tumble games. I’m really proud of our guys.”
The Colonials (11-1) won their 10th straight. St. Georges (10-3) lost its third in a row, but it was the Hawks’ first in-state setback.
“We had some great opportunities, but we just weren’t able to get across the finish line,” St. Georges coach Rod Griffin said. “I love those type of games, those tough games where you’ve got to grind it out.”
It was 3-3 after five minutes, a clear indication that this was going to be a defensive struggle. Every shot was contested – especially when Vincent Kent was involved.
The Hawks’ 6-foot-9 senior center didn’t score, but found a way to rule the paint anyway with nine blocked shots. He altered several others.
“Typically, with most teams we use the shot fake pretty well and get guys up in the air,” Christensen said. “But [Kent] was a really disciplined defender tonight, and he was really wreaking havoc.”
St. Georges built a 14-6 lead with 3:41 left in the first half. Then Markee Johnson finally started finding a way around or over Kent.
After being rejected multiple times, the 6-1 forward scored three straight baskets inside to pull William Penn within 14-12 at the half.
“I was just feeding off him blocking my shot,” Johnson said. “Every time he blocked it, that just fired me up more so I could just go and do it again, keep going until I make it.”
Johnson, who led the Colonials with 14 points, banked in a short jumper in the lane to give William Penn a 20-18 lead after three quarters. But Kent kept swatting shots, deflecting four straight on one fourth-quarter trip down the floor.
“He’s been doing it all year,” Griffin said of the big senior. “He’s been absolutely great. In that one possession, he blocked four or five shots. He was phenomenal. He kept us in the game.”
A 3-pointer by Danny Walsh gave William Penn its biggest lead, 26-22, with 2:42 left. But the Hawks’ Kyson Rawls got into the lane twice and tied it with four free throws, and the Colonials called timeout with exactly one minute left to set up a final shot.
William Penn missed, but St. Georges fouled on the rebound with 1.7 seconds to go. But the Colonials missed both free throws to send the game to overtime.
Jermal Crumel (six points, 10 rebounds) got the first bucket of the extra period, banking home a 12-footer for William Penn with 3:01 to play. The Colonials sailed home from there.
“After we missed the two foul shots, we were deflated a little bit,” Christensen said. “I think [Crumel’s score] kind of picked us up, and then we were able to settle in defensively.”
The Colonials blocked a shot, and Kent fouled out on a charging call with 1:20 remaining. That made it a little easier in the lane, and William Penn closed it out by hitting five of six free throws to build a 33-26 lead with 36.5 seconds left.
Rawls scored 15, and Lamar Hamrick had 11 points and 12 rebounds for St. Georges. Ny’Jere Hodges chipped in 10 points and nine boards for the Colonials.
“This is definitely going to teach us how to win close games and execute at the end,” said Walsh, William Penn’s top shooting threat, who was limited to seven points as Rawls shadowed him in a box-and-one.
He was far from the only one thrown off his offensive game. The intensity – from both teams and the crowd – provided a setting that should benefit all involved.
“Tonight was like a playoff game,” Griffin said. “Playoff atmosphere, you get the crowd really yelling and screaming. I think we’ve got to capture that, bottle it up and use it down the road.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.