Northwood's Gross scores game-winner for boys Gladiators win despite 17 second-half points from Rams' Jackson by Joey Sabet | Special to The Gazette
It all came down to one play in the 2A West Region quarterfinals Tuesday night. With the game tied at 40 and 11.3 seconds left, No. 5 Northwood brought the ball up, forgoing a timeout to set up its final play. With fourth-seeded Rockville's home fans rocking the building, Jonathan Cleveland rose to take a contested shot, but spotted a wide open Jake Gross underneath. Gross converted the layup as time expired for the 42-40 win. "It's funny, because in practice coach [Tony Dickens] says I have layup-phobia," Gross said. "But I think I proved myself tonight by making that game-winner. I just saw the pass and finished." Gross' layout negated what was nearly a game-winning play by Rockville's Wayne Jackson. Northwood (8-15) led 40-39 with 16 seconds left when Jackson — the game's high scorer with 20 points — swiped the ball from the Gladiators' Nick Sparacino. Sparacino fouled Jackson, who made 1 of 2 free throws, the last of his 17 second-half points for the Rams (9-13). "I made a key turnover at the end, but we got another chance," Sparacino said. "You saved me tonight," he told Gross during the Gladiators' raucous postgame celebration in front of a stunned Rockville crowd. The Rams looked out of it early. Northwood started the game on a 10-1 run and held a 24-14 lead at halftime. Rockville sophomore big man DeAndre Kelly (13 points) was in foul trouble early and picked up his fourth with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, when Northwood held a 30-19 lead. From that point on, the Rams were a different team. Led by Jackson, Rockville employed a halfcourt trap that befuddled the Gladiators, who then began to turn the ball over. Jackson was able to get some easy baskets off turnovers, and the Rams went on a 14-2 run to take a brief 33-32 lead, their first, with 5 minutes left in the game. Ed Dyson, who led Northwood with 12 points, made some big shots to take the lead back. Kelly used his size to keep Rockville close toward the end, but in the end Northwood was able to hold off the hard-charging Rams. Northwood will face the winner of the Century-Walkersville game Wednesday night. "This is our second year in a row making the final four of our region," said Dickens. "That's big for us, especially after starting the year 0-7."
 Mar 3 ..........Quarterfinals: Northwood beats Rockville 42-40
Mar 4..........Semifinal: Northwood plays #1 Century at Century. Season ends with thumping by Century
Friday the 13th - So Good it's Scarey! D.J. had his best night of the season putting 20 points on the board to help lead Northwood to a 65-46 win over the Rockville Rams. (No photos from this game.) Gazette Article Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 Northwood boys jet out early, never look back George's 20 points to lead all scorers was at the head of a sweep of Rockville
by Joey Sabet | Special to The Gazette The first boys basketball game of the season between Northwood and Rockville went to overtime, with Northwood eventually winning, 71-61. Friday night's game wouldn't need any extra time. After a 12-4 run to open the game, Northwood (7-13) never let Rockville get close and won the game going away, 65-46. Senior D.J. George had 15 points in the first quarter and led all scorers with 20. He did not miss a shot in the first 8 minutes. "We wanted to show them that we had a good team," George said. Fellow senior Nick Sparacino is the team's primary ball handler and was not overwhelmed by the Rams' press, breaking it multiple times. Sparacino contributed 11 points for Northwood and also had some fabulous assists in the open floor to teammates Ed Dyson (12 points) and Jonathan Cleveland (7 points). "Tonight we wanted to make a big statement," said Sparacino. "We wanted to show we're not playin' games in the playoffs and we mean business." Rockville (9-11) was led by senior guard Paul Rosiak, who was very effective with the mid-range jumper and finished with 14 points. Sophomore big man DeAndre Kelly added 12, but was in foul trouble early and sat the entire second quarter while Northwood built their lead. The Gladiators rolled out of the gate, leading 18-10 after one quarter and continuing to pour it on with Kelly on the bench, taking a 36-22 edge into the half. In the third quarter, the Rams were held to just seven points and the game was put out of reach. Both teams are in Class 2A, and since only 11 teams in the region are 2A, with playoffs coming up this may very well have been a playoff preview. These two teams met last year in the tournament with Northwood coming out on top. Rockville struggled last year with a very young team, winning only one game, but has turned it around dramatically after a year of seasoning. Despite Northwood's record, coach Tony Dickens is not concerned heading into the postseason. "We have played probably the toughest schedule of any of the 2A teams," Dickens said. "We executed well tonight, and I am more concerned about how we are playing come playoff time than what our record is."
February 25, 2009 by Jennifer Beekman | Gazette Staff Writer At this time last year, the Rockville boys basketball team had one win and entered every contest needing to play its best just to stay competitive. What a difference a year makes. When the Class 2A West Region tournament kicks off with Friday's first-round games, the No. 4 Rams will have a bye, having earned an automatic seed for the first time in 16 years. "I told the guys, ‘This is your team,'" second-year Rockville coach G.J. Kissal said. "‘You did this. You grew up. You were a team that was 1-22 last year. We didn't get an impact transfer that came in and changed everything. You did this on your own.'" After watching the first round, Rockville (9-11) will host Montgomery County foe Northwood in Monday's quarterfinal. The Gladiators (7-13) drew the fifth seed and also have a bye. They have defeated Rockville six consecutive times, including by 16 points in the first round of last year's tournament. Both teams thrive on versatility. Though Rockville has a size advantage inside with 6-foot-6 sophomore forward DeAndre Kelly (13.9 points per game), 6-3 senior forward Jonathan Cleveland (9.9 ppg) and 6-2 senior Ed Dyson (13.8 ppg) play bigger than their size for the Gladiators. The game features an interesting guard matchup, with Ben Kane (7.7) and Wayne Jackson (6.7) battling Gladiators guard Nick Sparacino, a Springbrook transfer. The winner of Monday's game will likely face No. 1 Century, which plays either South Hagerstown or Francis Scott Key, in the semifinals. Clarksburg (2-19) has an opportunity to win its first-ever postseason game, as it faces Middletown (4-16). Both are low-scoring teams — Middletown averages 44 points per game, Clarksburg 40 — that rely heavily on speed and aggressive defense. The Coyotes have no superstar but plenty of balance, with Detric Hodge (8.8), Chris Vigueira (6.8), Sam Collins (6.7) and Jeff Gatling (6.7). 
It was a great game between the Milford Mill varsity (Baltimore) and the Northwood Gladiators. The "Millers" got the win but our guys did a great job. A win at home and a loss away Gladiators notch a "W" vs the Titans but fall to the Panthers at Paint Branch.
  Evan goes inside against Einstein. On Friday night, the Paint Branch Panthers big men proved too much for the Gladiators. Northwood continues to skid with a loss at B-CC Northwood hopes to regain its momentum after 2 disappointing losses. Come out and support the Gladiators at home this Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they take on the Einstein Titans. (No photos were taken of the BCC game.)
 Wheaton puts on a show of extreme defensive intensity and sharp shooting to halt the Gladiators' winning streak. Game photos here.  Northwood fights hard to get the win at Kennedy. Gazette Article January 24, 2009 The name's the thing: Northwood's starters play to their monikers by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer
The Northwood High community calls 6-foot-1 junior forward Jake Gross, "Jake the Snake," — not to be confused with the famous WWF wrestler — for his ability to slither to the rim. Which is exactly what he did Friday night. The agile lefty maneuvered his way to team-highs in points (17) and rebounds (12) in the host Gladiators' 65-49 win over Montgomery 3A/2A/1A West Division rival Clarksburg. "Yes, [Northwood football coach] Dennis Harris is our announcer extraordinaire and he gave those guys their nicknames," said Gladiator basketball coach Tony Dickens. "They play like them. I thought we controlled the tempo well and dictated what we wanted to do." "Quick Nick" Sparacino added 14 points, "Easy Ed" Dyson — dubbed for making spectacular plays look simple — put up 8 points and 9 rebounds and "Papa Jon" Cleveland, the veteran, contributed 11 points and 8 boards. They all pitched in for Northwood's fourth win in six games after an 0-7 start. The Gladiators are now 4-9. Clarksburg fell to 2-11. "Jake had a real good game," Dyson said. "He's fast. He's strong. He's the man." Northwood struggled with injured starters in December, including Cleveland, who missed the first month with a torn ankle ligament. But they looked 100 percent healthy against the Coyotes, shooting 35 free throws to Clarksburg's 18. "We've come a long way," Dickens said. "The team chemistry is there. Everyone is starting to gel. We're getting better every game." Clarksburg was led by sophomore Chris Viqueira, who netted five 3-point shots and was 4 for 4 from behind the 3-point arc in the second half. Full gallery of game photos here.
From this week's Gazette: Though only 3-9, Northwood High School may be one of the most dangerous teams in the county. Missing several starters through the first month of the season, they are now at full strength, and the results attest to it. The Gladiators' last four games include narrow losses to Montgomery 3A/2A/1A East Division leaders Paint Branch High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, a 25-point rout of Einstein High School and an overtime victory over Rockville High School. The Gladiators got 21 points from guard Nick Sparacino and 20 more from swingman Jonathan Cleveland, in his fourth game back since tearing a ligament in his ankle. "I like the way things are looking," said Northwood head coach Tony Dickens. "We're still getting healthy and we're kind of like the team no one really wants to play." - With a 49-44 victory over Blair High School on Friday, Richard Montgomery High School equaled its eight-win total from a year ago. Juniors scored all but two of their points; Nick Brown, Dominique Hansberry, and Shawn Stephens, starters for the Rockets a year ago, and T.J. Fitzgerald, the team's first player off the bench last winter, all scored in double figures. - Two of the week's best games ended in heartbreak for Montgomery 3A/2A/1A East Division squads. Einstein led for the better half of Friday night's matchup with Watkins Mill, thanks to 27 points from guard DeAndre Frye (the high boys total for the week), but fell 63-61 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Wolverine senior Preston Carmon. Meanwhile, division-leading Paint Branch rallied for a 58-56 victory over Northwood on Jan. 13 thanks to senior Ed Hall's offensive rebound and putback with just three seconds remaining. The Gladiators had the ball with 16 seconds remaining with the score tied. - In what Kennedy head coach Diallo Nelson called "the ugliest game of all-time," the Cavaliers topped Montgomery 3A/2A/1A East neighbor Einstein, 52-46, with not-so-ugly performances from guards Angelo Adon and George Fountain. The backcourt mates combined for all but six of the team's points on the night, and put in 32 points per game for the season. Quotable "They're not sophomores anymore. They've got some experience under their belts." — Richard Montgomery coach Scott Spear, on his star junior class .  January 16, 2009 Northwood Gladiators suffer a heartbreaking loss to Paint Branch.  Ed on his way up for a dunk in the 4th quarter. The Gladiators took the lead early and never trailed as they put away the Titans. Game photos here.   Northwood gets a "W" with win over Wheaton. Game photos here. 
Northwood starts strong against Tuscarora but falters to go 4-0. More game photos here. 
The Northwood Gladiators took on the Clarksburg Coyotes on Tuesday and almost pulled off a miracle come-back. Down by as much as 15 points in the early half the Gladiators exploded in the 4th quarter with steals, re-bounds and points. It all came a little too late as the winless Coyotes sqeaked out a victory. 
Battle of the Boulevard: Northwood vs. Blair, early lead goes south as Blazers take home the win. Photos of both the JV and Varsity games are posted here. |