By Chris Stevens, Editor
Ja’Mire Smith is one of just two seniors on the Howard basketball team, so it was fitting that it was his clutch play that pulled the Wildcats through the toughest battle of their season.
Smith’s baseline layup with 10 seconds left in double overtime was the winning basket at Howard survived a slugfest with a tough Brandywine team, clinching the Flight B title with a 66-65 win. All of Smith’s eight points came in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and both overtimes.
“Ja’s been a through a lot as a senior – he was with us down at Slam Dunk to the Beach as a freshman so he has a lot of varsity experience,” Wildcats head coach Rahsaan Matthews Sr. said. “It’s what we expect of him – to make big shots and free throws. It’s good he gets to go out as a conference champion.”
“My coaches just tell me to stay ready and stay focused,” Smith said. “That’s what I did.”
Before Smith’s heroics, it looked like the Wildcat celebration would be delayed by Brandywine senior wing Da’Jour McKamey. McKamey got the basket at will and knocked down some outside shots for the Bulldogs, staking them to a 41-29 to start the third quarter.
Howard (9-1, 9-0 Flight B) turned to their customary full-court trap defense and got back to within a point with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Jahsir Gloster, Howard’s leading scorer with 20 points, fired up a step-back jumper that went long, but Smith had position for the rebound, them promptly got a reverse layup to go as he was fouled. The free throw put Howard up two, but McKamey (the game’s high scorer with 25 points) drove to the rim to tie the game at 60 and force overtime.
After both teams scored three points in the first overtime, Howard trailed 65-64 in double OT when De’Mere Hollingsworth zipped a pass to Smith, who created space under the basket with a dribble and banked in another layup to give Howard the lead. Nathan Zoladkiewicz had a wide-open look for Brandywine (6-6, 5-6 Flight B), but the ball bounced out at the buzzer, giving Howard its first conference title since its state championship year of 2012-13.
“That’s been our character all year – battling through adversity,” Matthews explained. “I have a group of kids that just don’t quit. They always feel like they have an opportunity to come back and win. We told them we just have to make sure our peaks are greater than our valleys and we did that today.”
