THE GAZETTE
Thursday, February 27, 2014 bo
Page A-9
Riverdale Baptist wins the CBAA regular season again Prep notebook: PGCC boys’ basketball team wins Region XX tournament n
GAZETTE STAFF
In two years of Capital Beltway Athletic Association play, Riverdale Baptist now has three titles to its name — 2013 league champions, 2013 tournament champions, 2014 league champions —
FIVE
Continued from Page A-8 earned. Since 2001, the Raiders have won eight region and two state titles, making the finals on three other occasions. Even Randallstown, who claimed four Maryland crowns from 2001-2007, hasn’t won that many region titles in that span. O’Connell, of course, was quick to deflect the credit. “I think there’s just so many factors going into it but I think having a winning tradition helps,” he said. “It gets the next group of kids ready. We have a great [junior varsity] program which prepares the kids for the varsity level. We have a bunch of kids who buy into what we’re trying to do.” While his players both former
with the opportunity for another this weekend at the CBAA tournament. The Crusaders sealed up their second straight league title and the top seed in this week’s playoffs with its 6359 win over first-year member Clinton Christian on Feb. 20. “I tell you, every year we’re going with the mindset we got to be the best we could possibly be,” Riverdale coach Lou Wilson said. “We think we could win any league no matter the competition and it’s tough to repeat because
and present attribute a number of variables to the Raiders’ unparalleled success for the better part of the decade, O’Connell was nearly always their No. 1. “He has really been the reason for that,” said Trevor Evans, the sharpshooting guard from the 2013 state championship team. “I know this year you guys probably expected a fall off but he got us right back to where we were last year pretty much.” To get the Raiders back to the Comcast Center, though, would be an extraordinary accomplishment, even for O’Connell. Under the new section format, Roosevelt will have to slug its way through Suitland in the opener, Wise in the second round, and either Charles H. Flowers, Bowie, or Oxon Hill in the section finals. And that’s not even guarantee-
everybody wants you. We knew it was going to be a tough chore to win backto-back.” The tournament, which is scheduled to begin Thursday at Takoma Academy — a prospective league member for next year — with Riverdale playing No. 4 seed Capitol Christian and No. 2 Clinton matching up with No. 3 National Christian. “Even though we’re the top seed, it’s no given that we’re going to beat the four seed and even the two seed is no
ing a trip to Comcast. After all that, chances are there will be either DuVal or Parkdale to beat in the region finals. “I don’t put any pressure on it,” O’Connell said of extending his streak of region titles to five. “It’s a different team, it’s a different year. I don’t really think about the streak much. It’s been more than four years since it started so none of these kids were even there at the start.” Evans hopes to make it back from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to catch a playoff game or two this week. Mostly, though, he wants to ensure the Roosevelt legacy continues. “I hope it doesn’t stop, either,” he said. “I hope it keeps going for another few years. People expect us to be on top, it’s expected now I guess that we win.
given to beat the three seed,” Wilson said. “But that’s the fun of it, that’s the fun of it.” — TRAVIS MEWHIRTER
PGCC men win Region XX Prince George’s Community College’s men’s basketball team (20-9) defeated Anne Arundel Community College 75-63 on Sunday to win the Region XX Division III basketball tournament. With the victory, the Owls ad-
I know I expected to win. It’s a lot to put on your shoulders. When we lose, [the students] are
probably just as shocked as we are because the teachers get involved, the faculty gets involved,
Continued from Page A-8 calm demeanor even in lopsided affairs. “Whether we won or lost, Kevin always maintained an even keel,” MacAulay said. “He never seemed to go through the highs and lows emotionally. When we won, he usually had a solid game and when we lost, like [the MAPHL quarterfinal] you couldn’t point to the goalie and say that he cost you. Three of the goals were on power plays and I think two of the other four occurred after turnovers or defensive breakdowns. Really at
FRIENDS
Continued from Page A-8 George’s County to coach the same team (Friendly). In their younger years, Garner (Potomac class of 1991) had idolized Johnson (Class of 1986). Johnson had recruited Garner as a graduate assistant, unsuccessfully at first, as Garner committed to Texas before transferring to Delaware, where Johnson had played a critical role in swaying him. “We kind of laugh about it, about this moment happening, about our two teams playing against each other,” Garner said. “And the great thing about it is we both care about our community so much with Renard’s community at Potomac and my community in Upper Marlboro and trying to establish that brotherhood between these two teams. “I know how competitive Renard is and I knew it was only a matter of time before he turned that program into a highquality program.” Garner first saw this drive when he was an eighth grader, “just a little guy who had some game,” while Johnson was a senior establishing himself as “one of the best guards to ever come through Potomac in history,” Garner said. “We’ve had notable, big time alumni and depending on who you talk to, a lot of people would rank Renard in the top 5 or top 10 ever, and you have to be in the community to understand how important that is.” Potomac, as both coaches would note frequently, is a tradition-rich community. Alumni regularly come back to check up on the programs they helped build. When Johnson was a freshman at Virginia Military Institute, where he was awarded the Southern Conference Rookie of the Year, he had heard of that “little guy who had some game,” and he made sure to follow him. As an eighth grader, Garner was billed as the No. 1 guard in the area. A year later, he became the first freshman to start for Potomac in the school’s history. “It was a different time back then,” Johnson said. “You played [junior varsity] as a freshman, you didn’t make varsity as a sophomore, were lucky to make it as a junior, and you earned your playing time as a senior. Back then we sort of waited our turn.”
no point during the season did I ever feel compelled to make a change [at goalie].” Keegan Chesnick has been a teammate of Mackey’s for nearly a decade, with the two of them playing on several Bowie Bruins’ club squads starting in elementary school. “Kevin shows up to play every night and he never gets upset,” Chesnick said. “That’s what I like most about playing with him. Some goalies let their emotions get the better of them. But he doesn’t let the score effect the way he plays. Tonight we didn’t give him any help. They had a lot of power play chances. When that happens teams are going to score
and you can’t blame the goalie.” Mackey played all but 22 minutes in the net for the Stags this season and he is expected to return to the same role next winter. But Mackey understands that the Stags will have to begin grooming his replacement at some point. “I like playing, but I haven’t given it much thought,” Mackey said about sitting occasionally. “I want to keep playing and keep getting better. Having the chance to start every game this year was great. But I know that isn’t going to always be the case. When they needme,I’mgoingtodomybest.”
In 1990, Delaware named Johnson the team’s Most Valuable Player. In 1996, the cohonor went to Garner, who had kept in touch with Johnson while at Texas and transferred to Delaware seeking more playing time. By this point, Johnson had abandoned his graduate assistant post and was coaching CYL girls, so the two interacted very little while Garner finished out his career as a Blue Hen. In 2010, however, the two “stumbled across” one another. Garner was set to be the head coach at Friendly. He wanted Johnson on his staff. “I’m not sure how it happened, whether he reached out
to me or I reached out to him, but it was a no-brainer,” Garner said. “If we were going to be the best, why not have the best teachers?” That year, the two carried the Patriots to county, league, and region titles before falling to Milford Mill in the state finals. The next season, Garner took the job at Wise, Johnson at Potomac. “It’s that challenge,” Garner said of their reasoning for switching schools. “It’s that competitive drive we have. Me and coach Johnson are cut from the same cloth.”
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