Boys Hoops: Strong Third Quarter Propels New Town Over Western Tech

This time last year, New Town’s Jalen Clarke, stood in an hallway, lamenting what could have been. The Titans were from advancing to the state semifinals in College Park for the first time since 2007.

However, Saturday afternoon at Western Tech, Clarke’s—and New Town’s—post game mood was the polar opposite of last year’s.

Netting a game-high 27 points, Clarke helped lead a second half surge that saw the Titans come out completely revitalized on defense en route to a 62-57 victory to secure the Class 1A North championship.

Senior forward Devron Goodwyn tallied 14 points and sophomore point guard Danny Shand added 13 to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. The Titans will take on the Class 1A West champion, either Smithsburg or Southern Garrett, at University of Maryland’s Comcast Center Friday at 5 p.m.

“I’m 100 percent happier today,” Clarke said. “Last year they jipped us with that free throw, but this year we came out and played hard. We had a bad first half, but we came out [in] the second half and rebounded and played defense and made free throws and that was the difference today.

“I’ve been waiting since last year. I told myself I was going to make sure we got back here and we won it.”

Trailing 37-32 at intermission, New Town (21-6) locked down on the Wolverines defensively. The renewed intensity enabled the Titans to snatch the lead with nine unanswered points before forward Andre Jackson (team-high 23 points, 11 rebounds) ended Western Tech’s drought with a turnaround jumper almost five minutes into the second half.

The Titans would go on to outscore Western Tech 14-4 in what proved to be the most pivotal quarter of the game.

“The five-point lead we had built at the half deteriorated away from us because of the fact that we didn’t adjust,” Western Tech head coach Mike Slepesky said.

“We adjusted in the fourth quarter. It was a little late, and ultimately that kind of cost us the game.”

Aided by eight points from senior Cory Tabb, Western Tech (17-6) matched the Titans bucket-for-bucket in the final frame, but New Town prevented any likelihood of a comeback by shooting a serviceable 12 of 18 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Clarke and Shand combined to go 9 of 9 of from the charity stripe down the stretch. 

Despite the loss, Slepesky was proud of the year his team put together and even more pleased with the Wolverines maturity amid a tough defeat.  

“I’ve never been more proud of a group of guys,” Slepesky said. “They kept their composure. I’m used to seeing tears in the locker room and all those guys came in and kept their composure.

“It’s never easy to watch a trophy being handed out to somebody else that you know you can beat and have beaten. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I could not be more proud of them.”

Meanwhile, after finally getting over the hump that’s evaded him since taking over in 2008, Titans head coach Mike Salapata will look to keep his players hungry heading into their state semifinal matchup.

“I have a saying I’ve told them all year,” Salapata said. “There’s no business going to the dance if they’re going to go on crutches. So now we got invited to the dance, let’s not go in there on crutches. Let’s go in there and dance.”

BOX SCORE

New Town 62, Western Tech 57

WT – 16 21 4 16 ---- 57

NT – 14 18 14 16 ---- 62

WT – Jackson 23, Tabb 13, Crowell 6, Handy 5, Imes 4, Beverly 3, Edwards 2, Luster.

NT – Clarke 27, Goodwyn 14, Shand 13, Jacob 4, Gerard 2, Brown, Jones.