Seneca Valley, Northwest Get Clean Slate for Postseason

Seneca Valley's boys basketball team isn't heading into Friday's first-round playoff game with the momentum it would've liked.

As losers of four straight—including a 16-point loss to Whitman Tuesday night—the Screamin' Eagles (9-13) are hardly soaring into the post-season, having gone 1-6 during the month of February.

But none of that will matter much when the Maryland state basketball playoffs begin this weekend. In the state of Maryland, every team gets a shot at capturing playoff glory.

As the randomly-selected No. 10 seed in the Montgomery 3A West Region, Tom Sheahin's squad will begin its playoff run in Frederick when it takes on the Tuscarora Titans (8-14).

Sheahin said the biggest focal point for his team this week in practice has been closing teams out. In more than half of its losses since the first of the year, Sheahin's team has led at halftime before unravelling in the second half.

"It's all about getting back to basics: protecting the basketball, valuing the basketball" he said. "When we've built those leads, it's not like we're doing anything extraordinary. We're playing decent basketball and doing the right things. And that's what I keep telling the kids and hopefully that will carry over this week."

Watkins Mill, Blake, Clarksburg, Poolesville, and Churchill all trailed the Screamin' Eagles heading into the third quarter of their respective games against Seneca. All of them ended up winning.  Sheahin said that cannot happen in postseason play.

To buck that trend, Seneca is expecting big things from senior Miles Cooper, the team's leading scorer, who averages more than 13 points per game.

Robb Lim (12 points per game), Daquan Sampson (1o points per game), and Andrew Hampton (eight points per game) will also be major factors in Friday's game.

"Right now we are what we are," Sheahin said. "Everybody is 0-0 and the team that plays defense, the team that's hungrier, goes after loose balls, grabs rebounds...is going to come out on top. I like our chances if we play well."

The winner of the Tuscarora-Seneca game faces Quince Orchard. As the No. 2 seed in the 3A West, the Cougars earned a first-round bye. Tuscarora defeated QO when the two teams met in December.

Northwest, meanwhile, fell to QO in its final game of the season last week, and after finishing the season 10-11, earned the No. 11 seed in the Maryland 4A West Region. It was the most lopsided loss for the Jaguars all season as Northwest finished the season on a two-game losing streak.

The Jaguars' last win of the season came on Feb. 11 against Walter Johnson. Spearheaded by Detrick Hoes' season-high 42 points, Northwest defeated the Wildcats, 73-71. 

The Jaguars will face the No. 6 Wildcats again Friday night in the first round of the playoffs at Walter Johnson. Northwest and WJ split the regular season series. The Wildcats beat the Jaguars, 56-52, in January. 

Friday night's game will feature two of the top scorers in Montgomery 4A. Hoes (15 points per game) and WJ's Ryan Lynch (12 points per game). Lynch scored 17 points in the Feb. 11 loss to NW.

The winner will face No. 3 Churchill, which earned a first-round bye after beating Seneca Valley last week.