by Alejandro Danois
In an early season match-up of Baltimore City title hopefuls, No. 8 Lake Clifton defeated No. 13 City College in front of a packed, partisan home crowd on St. Lo Drive, 59-49, behind the stellar point guard play of senior Darius Gilmore.
Gilmore set the tone early as Lake Clifton (4-1) jumped out to an early 15-9 lead four minutes into the contest. His 17 first half points were compiled utilizing a full offensive repertoire.
“In the beginning of the game, our motive is to come out with intensity and throw the first blow,” said Gilmore. “We want to attack,
keep the defense honest and I was making some good shots early.”
Gilmore connected on two long range three-pointers, converted a number of pretty scoop shots and drove into the lane to initiate contact, which repeatedly sent him to the free throw line.
City sophomore forward C.J. Fair kept pace with Gilmore, single handedly keeping the Knights (3-1) within striking distance with 16 first half points of his own. While Fair did his best to carry the Knights, the Lakers interior defense, led by the active hands, rebounding and shot blocking of Cleveland Melvin and Daniel Horton, made it difficult for any other City player to make an impact on the game.
“Our big men are the guts of our team,” said Lake Clifton coach Herman Harried, who bounced back Friday's loss to Friendship Academy (D.C) . “Some people don’t notice what they do because they pay attention to points, but our guys box out, rebound, defend and start our fast break.”
City coach Mike Daniel attempted to thwart the Lakers quick hitting attack, utilizing a variety of zone defenses, half court traps, a full court press and man to man defense at different junctures in the first half alone. But Gilmore and his backcourt teammates, Jason Sharp and Antoine Allen, adeptly handled City’s numerous defensive adjustments. In addition to taking turns getting the Lakers into their offensive sets, Sharp and Allen also displayed an ability to knock down long range threes and push the ball into the heart of the City defense.
With Lake Clifton ahead comfortably, 41-26, to start the second half, Gilmore was content to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He found Sharp in the right corner for two three pointers to initiate the second half. Gilmore led a streaking Allen down court with a perfect pass for an easy two. At the end of the third, Gilmore zoomed down court on a fast break and laid a perfect pass into the hands of Horton, who converted a crowd pleasing slam dunk.
In the fourth quarter, Fair continued to knock down big shots to keep City close. He threw down a pair of emphatic dunks in addition to hitting a deep three, finishing with a game high 31 points.But Gilmore answered by easily penetrating the City defense with sudden, quick bursts to the basket. When the defense converged to block his path, he passed off to his open teammates for easy scores. Gilmore finished with 19 points and nine assists.
“Their backcourt is tremendous,” said Daniel. “They made big shots, great passes and played very well as a team. They played tough, hard and deserved to win.”
Lake Clifton 59, City College 49City: Lathan 2, Johnson 4, Rodwell 4, Satterfield 2, Carmon 3, Fair 31, Goodwin 3.
Lake Clifton: Gilmore 19, Sharp 14, Allen 9, Horton 5, Melvin 13.
Halftime: Lake Clifton 41, City 26
