Knights rally to knock out Boonsboro

Middletown warms up at halftime to erase a double-digit Boonsboro lead for a win.

February 26, 2003|by CURT HORNBECKER / Staff Correspondent

MIDDLETOWN, Md. - For the first 16 minutes, Middletown's boys' basketball team had all sorts of trouble against Boonsboro's zone defense.

But once the Knights solved the problem, there was no looking back.

After hitting just 6 of 25 first-half shots, Middletown caught fire in the second half Tuesday and rebounded from a 15-point deficit for a 70-60 Monocacy Valley Athletic League win.

Sparked by Pete Colwell and Brad Kehoe, the Knights buried 19 of 29 shots in the second half to thwart Boonsboro's upset hopes.

"It took us a while to get going," said Middletown coach Jon Jarrett. "Give Boonsboro credit. They're a very physical team, and they stunned us at the beginning of the game. They were the aggressor, we were flat and dead in the first half."

But a halftime squabble with at least one person in the Middletown student section was a contributing factor in the Warriors' lackluster second-half play, according to Boonsboro coach Chuck Ingram.

"I won't say what happened in the stands (while Boonsboro was warming up prior to the start of the second half), but it got really bad," Ingram said. "Improper language was used by some fans toward two of my players."

Ingram said he would provide the Frederick County Sheriff's Department with a statement this morning.

"I don't get caught up in that stuff," Jarrett said. "It's good that they get into the game as long as they're not degrading the players."

After draining 15 of 22 first-half shots and shutting down the Knights' high-powered offense in the first half, Boonsboro (13-9) was virtually invisible during the third quarter.

Middletown (17-4) erased the Warriors' 15-point advantage in just 5 minutes, 36 seconds and outscored Boonsboro 25-4 in the period.

"We had them befuddled (in the first half)," said Ingram. "But (Middletown) got a little more aggressive and we ran absolutely no offense at all."

Despite seven points from Brad Wetzel and six from Keith Kellinger, the Warriors could get no closer than seven points down the stretch.

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