4A State Championship Race Winding Down

<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>4A State Championship Race Winding Down</strong></span> The 4A division is the highest classification in the state and getting down to the semi finals things start to get serious.  Western and Glen Burnie locked horns at a neutral site Paint Branch with the winner advancing to the finals.  On paper we have [player_tooltip player_id="137209" first="Ny’Ceara" last="Pryor"] and Gabby Johnson matching up against [player_tooltip player_id="238911" first="Cincear" last="Parker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="167203" first="Amourie" last="Porter"].  The Doves of Western only had seven players dress on their eight player roster, while the Gophers had twelve ready to go fatigue and foul trouble could factor in late in the game. Well, the tone was set early as Gabby Johnson scored nine straight points for a 9-0 lead.  [player_tooltip player_id="167203" first="Amourie" last="Porter"] stopped the bleeding scoring the next five points and the blowout was turning into a game.  At the half it was 27-15 Doves favor with Porter scoring 11 of the Gophers 15 points and Johnson and Pryor combining for 21 of the 27 points for Western. The second half looked to be all Western as [player_tooltip player_id="393084" first="Breasia" last="Coit"] began to impact the game and the Pryor-Johnson combo kept the pressure on.  Porter single handedly carried the water for Glen Burnie as they trailed 41-33 after the third in a game that didn’t seem that close.  A three pointer by Eslick Malorie cut the game to five points and with 4:00 minutes to play the score was 41-36.  That three also sparked a 9-0 run by the Doves and they never looked back.  Things got a little testy with a little under two minutes to play and Montgomery County’s finest had to come on the court and clean things up.  In the end it was Western taking a 61-46 win to the championship game. Standout Players <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="167203" first="Amourie" last="Porter"] - 5’10" - Guard - 2023 - Glen Burnie</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387403" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/20220211_183831-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Porter carried the Gophers making things interesting at certain points of the game.  She typically drove to the basket and went with the floater off of the backboard.  She was able to show some three range in the second half and rebounded very well throughout the game.  She finished unofficially with a game high 28 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="88782" first="Gabrielle" last="Johnson"] - 5’9" - Guard - 2022 - Western</strong> [caption id="attachment_251175" align="alignnone" width="229"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-251175" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/gabby2-229x300.jpg" alt="" width="229" height="300" /> Photo: Garon Everett <a href="https://www.695hoops.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">695hoops.com</a>[/caption] Gabby had several runs on her own that sparked whenever Glen Burnie started to get momentum.  She had a great run to start the game and at the end she scored on back to back steals on the in-bound play to seal the deal.  She played the entire 32 minutes and never looked winded. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137209" first="Ny’Ceara" last="Pryor"] - 5’4" - Point Guard - 2022 - Western</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-365152" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0017-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /> Pryor hasn’t been stopped all season and nothing has changed.  She is a master at getting out in front of the play for fast break layups.  Many times we talk about athleticism but with her it’s acrobatics as she is able to finish contested shots at ridiculous angles. <strong>Nyjae Wallace - 5’7" - Guard - 2022 - Glen Burnie</strong> Wallace got to the basket repeatedly but couldn’t really finish in the first half.  She however had a nice spurt with a three-pointer sandwiched between two nice looking baskets.  If she could have finished some of the plays earlier it would have made things interesting but I doubt that it would have changed the outcome. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="393084" first="Breasia" last="Coit"] - 6’1" - Center - 2024 - Western</strong> Breasia used her bug body very well.  She was able to rebound, finish and block shots without jumping just controlling the space around her.  Despite her size she found a way to get lost right under the basket for four uncontested layups with no one within five feet of her.  She is a very crafty player that needs to be accounted for.