Glasgow Outlasts Hodgson In OT

Glasgow guard Charles Burley (#5) wrestles a bit after being fouled and taken down by Hodgson guard Shakeel Jeffcoat (#24) during Saturday night's second round match-up in the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Rob Tornoe)

Led by senior guard Charles Burley’s 28 points, the #5 seed Glasgow Dragons (14-6) defeated the talented young #12 seed Hodgson Vo-Tech Silver Eagles (16-8) in overtime by a score of 69-65 on Saturday to advance to the quarter-final round of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Basketball Tournament.

The second-round match-up featured two teams that are not only natural rivals (Glasgow and Hodgson are located just two miles apart), but two teams who have also shown over the course of the season that they can beat anyone on a given day. Glasgow defeated eventual #2 seed William Penn earlier this season, while Hodgson lost to William Penn only by virtue of a controversial foul call with time expired.

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Glasgow rode the back of Burley just to stay in the game early on, as Hodgson used the superior quickness of their young guards—freshmen Paris Ridgeway-Higgs (15 points) and Ty Hudson (10 points)—to jump out to a 27-18 half-time lead. “They have a great young team, they showed a lot of poise,” said Glasgow coach Shahid Perkins.

In the third quarter, keyed by timely passing, three-point shooting, and steals by Burley, Glasgow began to erase the deficit, trailing only 38-34 as the game entered the fourth.

Both teams were in the bonus early in the second half, and as a result, every foul called in the fourth quarter resulted in one-and-one and two-shot free throw situations. “When you get to this level, with rivals playing, things get real tight,” mused Perkins. Neither team, however, seemed to benefit more than the other from this situation—Glasgow converted 18 of 32 free throw attempts, while Hodgson made 19 of 30.

The Dragons took their first lead of the game with 2:35 left in regulation, on the back of a spectacular sequence that saw senior Najee Rogers (14 points) and Hodgson’s Ridgeway-Higgs trade three consecutive three-point baskets. Hodgson’s junior forward Austin Brunswick (20 points) made a lay-up with :43 seconds left to tie the game at 58, and made a key block on defense with :13 seconds left to preserve the tie, sending the game into overtime.

While neither team gained a decisive advantage during the 4:00 overtime period, Glasgow squeezed out a few more points when it mattered most, and it was Burley who delivered, following a momentum-shifting coast-to-coast basket with three clutch free throws in the final :21 seconds. Glasgow’s 11-7 advantage in overtime was enough for the win. “I really believe this in my heart, hands down, [Burley] is the best point guard in the state,” a relieved and proud Coach Perkins said after the game.

For Hodgson coach Ed Sobocinski, the tough loss promises its own benefits. “We’ll learn from games like this,” he said. “We have all five starters and our top three off the bench coming back next year, so we’ll learn from this and make better decisions.”

The victory sends #5 Glasgow into a highly anticipated rematch with rival #4 seed A.I. duPont (19-4) in the quarter-final round on Tuesday, March 10. The Tigers will play host for the matchup, with tip-off schedule for 5:30 p.m.