Hylton Playoff Run Ends Painfully

Following a controversial ending to their last game, the Hylton Bulldogs lost to the Potomac Panthers in a game that seemed controlled by the referee’s whistle. The Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 54-50 in the Cardinal District Championship on Friday, ending Hylton's playoff run.

The Panthers were able to sweep the Bulldogs this season defeating them three times. The first loss for the Bulldogs was when the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs during a make-up game at Hylton. Next, the Bulldogs fell as their injured leading scorer left the floor with a cut above his eye.

This game had much of the same tough play, and the referees tried to maintain control of the game calling a tight game. Even though Hylton ended up taking a lot of free throws in the game, they struggled to capitalize on the opportunities. 

Play was stopped with 1:51 remaining in the second quarter when junior guard Treyon Crawford fell hard on the court. Crawford’s body shook on the court as paramedics and available health professionals rushed to the court to help Crawford.

The crowd was silenced as they waited to see if the guard would stand up. The two teams were escorted off the court as the medical workers tried to stabilize Crawford. After about forty-five minutes, the young guard was eventually placed on a stretcher and left the court to the applause of the crowd. The two teams were allowed 5 minutes to warm up and then play resumed. 

Despite the teams resuming play, there still seemed to be a loss of energy in the building. In the first half, Micah Parker scored 8 points to lead all Bulldog scorers. Kendall Hargrove scored 7 points to complement Parker. For Potomac it was the dominant play of senior Jordan McCain in the paint that kept Potomac in the game as the Panthers fell behind 22-21 at the end of the first half. McCain scored 10 points to lead all scorers at the end of the second quarter.     

Early in the second half the Panthers turned up their defensive intensity, getting two charges on Hargrove and then on Michael Hatfield, who ended up with 7 points in the game. Parker led Hylton with 18 points. Hargrove, who was plagued with foul trouble throughout the game, eventually fouled out with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.

In a game that was close throughout, Hylton was behind by 2 points with 1:29 remaining in the fourth quarter when Parker tried to “will” his team to victory with two strong drives. However, Parker missed on a 3-point shot which would have tied the game and taken it to overtime.