Edmondson boys basketball blitzed visiting City with dazzling play in the game’s first two minutes, leading to 10 straight points for a quick lead on Tuesday.
The rest of the game, the No. 4 Red Storm played steady team basketball with a splash play here and there. They kept just enough separation from the No. 3 Knights as Edmondson claimed a 77-71 win in a prime Baltimore City showdown featuring defending state champions.
All-Metro junior point guard Darnell Dantzler Jr. finished with a game-high 22 points and eight assists. Sophomore forward Chase Foster had 21 points and controlled the boards. And senior guard Josiah Brown scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half.
After falling to the defending Class 3A champion Knights twice last season, including a 52-46 setback in the Baltimore City title game, the Class 1A champ Red Storm (5-0) got a measure of revenge in an early-season statement win.
Coach Darnell Dantzler Sr. gave the performance an A-plus.
“My hats go off to the kids because they executed very well,” he said. “I tell them my job is to manage the game and it’s up to them to execute. They played well on offense, played well on defense and they played together. They trusted each other.”
Energized by the packed home gym, Edmondson channeled it well at the start. Foster emphatically won the opening tip to Brown, who found Dantzler Jr. streaking to the basket for an easy two points. After delivering two no-look passes for baskets, Dantzler’s drive to the basket midway through the first quarter made it 10-0.
The Knights, who got a team-high 19 points from senior guard Omarr Smith Jr., methodically climbed back in the game — taking a brief 28-27 lead midway through the second quarter — before the Red Storm quickly regained the lead and never relinquished it. Foster came right back to make two free throws and Xavier Davis drained a 3-pointer to give Edmondson a 32-28 lead.
Leading 58-53 going into the fourth quarter, the home team took firm hold with Foster cleanly blocking a jumper by sophomore forward Gage Howard (16 points), scooping up the loose ball and finishing with a dunk for a 64-55 lead with 6:18 to play. After Smith cut the lead to 72-66 on a monster dunk with 2:42 to play, the Red Storm answered when Dantzler penetrated and then dished to Foster for a dunk.
“We took the game play by play and that’s what helped us end up with the win,” Dantzler Jr. said.
Going into the game, Foster had last year’s losses against City on his mind. He was determined to make sure another setback didn’t come.
“I think just from them beating us twice last year, that motivated us to come out and play with a little more intensity and together. I think that really helped us throughout the game,” Foster said.
The Knights (4-2) got a balanced performance with Camontae Griffin Jr. (15 points) and Marquel Paschall (13 points) joining Smith Jr. and Howard in double figures. Coach Omarr Smith Sr. said his team’s slow start proved vital.
“We spotted them 10 points — that was a killer right there. To our credit, I knew we would fight back but when you’re in somebody else’s environment and they’re feeding off the energy, it makes it twice as tough,” he said.
As for the possibility of a second meeting in a rematch of last year’s Baltimore City title game? “Absolutely. Can’t wait,” Smith Sr. said.
The Knights travel to face No. 2 St. Frances at 4 p.m. Saturday, while Edmondson heads to New York to take on Niagra Falls on Dec. 28.
C — Howard 16, Smith 19, Paschall 13, Griffin Jr. 15, Horton 8. Totals: 25 12 — 18 71
E — Dantzler Jr. 22, Foster 21, Brown 16, Coles 1, M. Davis 8, X. Davis 6. Totals: 25 19 — 28 77
Halftime: E, 40-34