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COLLEGE PARK — The Middletown Knights have seen the press. They saw it in their most recent game — the regional final against Oakland Mills, a team that not only presses, but presses with pace and speed which caused the Knights to make mistakes and put the ball on the floor.
But still the Knights managed to overcome the Scorpions and their suffocating press, snatching a 59-58 win from Oakland Mills, a game which they were expected to lose but won partly because they played well against the press.
So, when Queen Anne’s broke out the press on the Knights during in the 2A semifinal on Friday night, Middletown was confident that they could break the press having seen one of the best presses in the state from Oakland Mills.
And break it they did.
Middletown would score nine fast-break points including four in the second quarter that set the pace of the game, giving the Knights a 66-53 win over the Lions in College Park.
From the opening jump, the Lions wanted to apply pressure, on the Knights going into a press defense which saw Middletown forced to take their time moving up the court. And, like the Scorpions almost a week ago, this wasn’t a strange format for Queen Anne’s. The Lions had done this all year and were well versed in how to beat teams and beat them using a strong press.
Middletown was adjusted though as they would manage to find the holes in the Queen Anne’s press and exploit them to their benefit, getting buckets from having open men make shots after getting through the press and also finding easy lay-ups in transition.
After the game, the Knights understood how seeing a strong press defense for the second time in as many games had played to their benefit.
“I think we were much more comfortable with the press,” said Middletown senior guard Matt Considine who had a team-high 27 points for Middletown going 5-10 from outside the arc. “We are confident in all of our ball-handlers, we have a bunch of them. Playing against Oakland Mills last game and seeing the pressure, seeing the quickness and knowing how to beat the press really helped.”
The Knights would use that experience early in the first quarter going up early using quick ball rotation and an early five points from Considine to establish the 7-4 lead early on, one which they would never relinquish.
Queen Anne’s would continue to press the Knights even after Middletown junior guard Evan Joseph and Middletown senior guard Lucas Price extended the lead to six off back-to-back fast break lay-ups in the late first quarter. Lions head coach Dale Becraft said the decision to keep the pressure up for the majority of the game was an easy one.
“Truthfully we’re a transition team,” said Becraft. “We focus mostly on our transitions, the press, and our turnover points. That’s what got us here and that is what we went with.”
Middletown would keep attacking the Lions after taking a five point lead at the end of the first and would extend that lead to nine with the turning point being three straight lay-ups by Jacob Hamilton from inside the paint late in the second.
The Knights weren’t out of the woods yet though as the Lions would come storming back during the third quarter, chopping the lead down to three with 58.7 seconds to play in the quarter. Queen Anne’s had momentum but Middletown would deliver possibly the strongest blow of the night at the buzzer.
Considine would catch a pass back from Joseph off a drive by Joseph and throw up a college-range 3-pointer with time running down in the third. Considine would hit nothing but net, expand the lead from three to six, and stymie any momentum the Lions had.
“That’s huge. Momentum and confidence,” said Middletown head coach Aaron White who takes the Knights to their third state final and first since 1979. “Anytime you score at the end of a quarter it not only gives you a boost but it lets a little air out of the other team too.”
The sentiment was much the same on the Queen Anne’s side.
“It was big. … that was a big three,” said Lions senior guard Cassius Warren who had 11 points. “It definitely changed the momentum of the game. I really think that is what won them the game, to be honest with you.”
With the knockout punch delivered and the Lions on their back heel Middletown would deliver in the fourth quarter expanding the lead to as large as 17 with strong inside play and some clutch free shooting.
