Glasgow dominates No. 4 Appoquinimink boys

GLASGOW – Add Glasgow to the ever-growing list of boys basketball state title contenders.

The Dragons showed they have as much upside as anyone on Tuesday, leading from start to finish in their home gym and dismantling fourth-ranked Appoquinimink 72-58.

Glasgow (8-4) got off to a 2-3 start, but has won six of its last seven games. The Dragons shot 53.6 percent from the field and outrebounded the Jaguars 35-24 on the way to an easy win.

“We got our chemistry right, and everything is good,” said Dewitt Johnson, who put up 15 points and 10 rebounds. “This helps our confidence a lot. I’m not going to lie, we thought we were going to lose this one. But we came together, put our pride to the side and played with heart tonight.”

Johnson joined fellow senior guards Devon Earl (25 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Lameen Carter (10 points) in repeatedly breaking down the Appo defense.

“They have great speed, they’re very smart basketball players and they understand the game,” Glasgow coach Jeremy Jeanne said of the trio. “When they play together, we’re a tough team.”

The Dragons were tough from the start. Johnson got things rolling with a 3-pointer. Then Earl scored on a fast break, assisted on Darrien Fisher-Logan’s layup and dropped a 3 of his own for a 10-3 lead just 2:33 into the game.

Glasgow closed the first quarter on a 10-4 run to make it 22-13. Then the Dragons held the Jaguars to four points in the second period, and Earl and Ryan Hurlock drove for layups that made it 30-17 at halftime.

“We moved the ball,” Jeanne said. “Defensively, we made sure they didn’t score in transition because that’s their strength. We packed it in a little bit and tried to turn them into a jump shooting team.”

Appo (6-2) was coming off an 11-day break, and the Jaguars got it in gear early in the second half. Darrell Jenkins scored off an offensive rebound, and Seton Hall signee Myles Cale drove for a layup and threw down a monster dunk off of Max Somelofske’s steal to pull Appo within 35-27.

Cale finished with 21 points but was more than matched by Earl. The 5-foot-11 point guard repeatedly drove through the Jaguars’ defense, hitting 7 of 8 shots in the second half. All but one was a layup.

“I just think that nobody can stop me. Nobody can stay in front of me,” Earl said. “I’m fast, so I use that to my advantage.”

Earl’s speed was on full display in a 12-2 late in the third quarter. He turned a steal into a layup, then completely circled his offensive end before scoring on a drive. Then Johnson drove for a layup, Earl scored off of Hurlock’s steal and Johnson dropped a 10-footer for a 47-29 lead with 1:11 left in the third quarter.

“It took us some time. I feel like the chemistry is getting better,” said Jeanne, who also got 12 points and 10 rebounds from 6-6 junior Devin McDowell. “They’re playing harder defensively, and this is a great win for us.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Glasgow’s Dewitt Johnson puts up a shot over Appoquinimink’s Cameron Smollen in the fourth quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale dunks the ball in the third quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell blocks a shot from Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale in the third quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Zion Taylor puts up a shot between Appoquinimink’s Nicholas Margis (left) and Myles Cale (right) in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Ryan Hurlock drives past Appoquinimink’s Nicholas Margis in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell puts a shot up over Appoquinimink’s Darrell Jenkins in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devon Earl drives past Appoquinimink’s Amir Richardson in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell (left) and Zion Taylor (right) leap to block a shot from Appoquinimink’s Keith DeLoatch (center) in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.