New Town boys basketball falls to Largo, 50-48, in Class 2A title game

COLLEGE PARK — Trailing by nine points with less than seven minutes left in its season, New Town boys basketball was at its resilient best clawing back in the Class 2A state title game against defending champion Largo at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.

The No. 6 Titans had cut the lead to two points when they inbounded the ball with nine seconds left. Senior guard Tyriq Liggins, one of the fourth-quarter catalysts, found room at the top of the key and got a clean look at a 3-pointer he’s made plenty of before.

This time, it wasn’t meant to be.

Liggins’ shot was just a bit short, caroming off the front of the rim. As a Lion secured the rebound at the buzzer, Largo finished a thrilling 50-48 win for its second straight crown.

New Town, which got 13 points from senior guard Justus Stanton, claimed the Baltimore County championship and North region in the midst of winning 21 straight games before falling Saturday in a bid to capture the program’s fifth state crown. The Titans end the season with a 27-2 mark.

Largo, which got 20 points and 15 rebounds from star forward Cam Ward, claimed the program’s fourth title.

The message New Town coach Derek Wise shared with his team after the game focused on the bigger picture rather then the two-point difference Friday. After beating Largo to win the state title in 2023, the Titans had a down season a year ago. They pledged to return to the program’s lofty standard, and did just that.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys. We were a completely different team from the start of the season,” Wise said. “I was so impressed with how we grew and matured and how well we played together. That’s what I told the guys — we have nothing to hold our heads [about]. From the very beginning to now, we were a completely different team.”

New Town’s Tyriq Liggins reacts after the loss. The Largo Lions defeated the New Town Titans, 50-48, in the MPSSAA Class 2A boys basketball state championship at the XFinity Center in College Park. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)

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On Friday, the Titans had some uncharacteristic misses, turnovers and a handful to deal with in Ward, who earlier in the playoffs became the Maryland public schools’ all-time leading scorer.

The Lions led 24-23 at the half when they scored the first seven points of the third quarter — New Town went five-plus minutes with only two points — and they built a 38-29 lead when Ward converted a three-point play in the final minute.

Trailing 44-36, the Titans went on a 7-0 run as Liggins opened with a drive, Christion Hubert-Brown hit his second 3 of the quarter and then Liggins hit two free throws that made it 44-43 with 4:07 to play.

But the Lions responded with a 3 from Jared Mobley and a dunk from Ward that made it 50-46 with 2:04 left.

The Titans would twice get within two points. After Ward missed two free throws with 16 seconds left to keep the Lions’ lead at 50-48, New Town had a chance, but Liggins’ shot fell short.

“He had an opportunity with the good look at the 3 and I think he hits that shot nine times out of 10. But it just didn’t fall our way today,” Wise said. “Maybe another inch and he makes that shot, but it just didn’t fall our way today.”

Senior forward Kareem Fowlkes (eight points, nine rebounds) had a strong all-around game with the task of guarding Ward, who fell nine points short of his season average. Herbert Brown finished with nine points off the bench with Liggins adding eight.

“This game showed how we persevered and came back from last season. I love these guys and proud of how hard we fought,” senior leader Will DeShields said. “We didn’t give up when we got down. We came back, got a good look … It just didn’t fall.”

The first half remained tight with New Town building the biggest lead at 14-9 early in the second quarter when Fowlkes finished a lob inside from Liggins with 6:12 to play. But Ward made his presence felt in the closing minutes, finishing a reverse dunk, a three-point play and then a follow dunk with 36 seconds left to give the Lions a 24-23 halftime advantage.

Have a news tip? Contact Glenn Graham at ggraham@baltsun.com, 410-332-6636 and x.com/GlennGrahamSun.

Largo: 9-15-14-12 — 50

New Town: 10-13-8-17 — 48

L: Ward 20, Johnson 7, Ashe 10, Dixon 6, Mobley 7

NT: DeShields 2, Stanton 13, Liggins 8, Byrd 7, Foulkes 8, Herbert-Brown 9, Brown 1.