Sanford rides defense to DIAA boys basketball championship

DOVER – The last letter in Sanford is “D.”

On Saturday, it was the first letter.

Sanford ratcheted up the defense in the second half, quickly erased an eight-point deficit and went on to grind out a 51-45 victory over Smyrna in the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament championship game at Dover High.

It was the 10th state title for the top-seeded Warriors (16-2). But sixth-seeded Smyrna (19-1) made Sanford fight for it from start to finish.

“The way the first half went and the way the second half went, it felt like two games,” Warriors coach Stan Waterman said.

The Eagles were shooting to add a second title after winning in 2017, and they came out flying high. Robert Wiley, Majesti Carter and Moo Salako nailed back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to zoom Smyrna to an 11-3 lead.

The Eagles remained in control in the second quarter, and Carter beat the buzzer with Smyrna’s sixth 3-ball to make it 28-20 at the half.

When Sanford gathered to regroup, the harshest words didn’t come from its coaches.

“We had a really rough talk in the locker room, and it was player-led,” center Nnanna Njoku said. “We talked about how we didn’t want to go out like that.”

The Warriors found another gear on defense, forcing turnovers and heavily contested shots that were converted into layups by Carter Ruby, Amin Johnson and Dayon Polk and a 15-footer by Njoku.

Just 2:25 into the third quarter, Sanford had tied the score.

“We just clamped up on defense,” guard Oliver Jones said. “We stopped them.”

Smyrna fought back, but a 3-point play from Njoku – the 6-foot-9 senior headed to Villanova – opened the fourth quarter and gave the Warriors their first lead since 3-2.

Elijah Credle was brilliant for the Eagles in the second half, scoring all 17 of their points. But Sanford had too much, as a layup by Ruby and a huge 3-ball by Jones made it 43-38 with 3:48 to play.

“We didn’t quite have enough,” Smyrna coach Andrew Mears said. “I think it was a combination of things. We did everything right, we just didn’t have enough of it.”

Njoku slammed in Ruby’s miss, then got a layup and hit two free throws to keep the Warriors in control 49-45 with 46.3 seconds to play.

The big man finished 8-of-9 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line for 24 points and 12 rebounds, but other things stood out to his coach.

“Obviously in the fourth quarter, the ball was going to him because he’s been dominant in the paint,” Waterman said. “But I was more impressed with the rebounds and the long balls, the loose balls that he went after.”

Sanford also won the title in 2019 and reached the semifinals of last year’s tournament when Gov. John Carney ordered schools closed statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic, ending the playoffs prematurely.

“We were playing for this year’s team, but we were playing for last year’s team, too,” Waterman said. “That thing ended so abruptly last year, and I can tell you the emotions that we felt in the gym that day when the season was halted, I’ll never forget it.”

The graduation of 2020 seniors Jyare Davis, Corey and Hassan Perkins, Luke Sipala, Devin Harris, Ryan Johnston and Air Dunkley left Njoku as the only returning starter, but he lifted a new mix of players to another championship.

“It’s been different, but I couldn’t ask for a better group to play with,” Njoku said. “These guys, they give it their all. We make some mistakes, but we learn from them. … New team or not, as long as we do what we do and we play hard, we play together, we keep our bond on the court, there is nothing they can do to stop us.”

It was a bitter finish for Smyrna, which won 19 straight games and swept the Henlopen North and overall Henlopen titles.

“This may be one of the better teams that I’ve had talent-wise, but this may be the best team I’ve had from a continuity standpoint,” Mears said. “They are a tremendous group. They’re fun. I love them.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Sanford 51, Smyrna 45

Smyrna 17 11 5 12 – 45

Sanford 10 10 12 19 – 51

SMYRNA: Credle 7 2-2 20, Wiley 1 0-0 3, Salako 2 0-1 5, DeMoe 1 0-0 3, Gregory 3 2-2 8, Carter 2 0-0 6, Matthews 0 0-0 0, Sanchez 0 0-0 0, Knight 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 4-5 45.

SANFORD: Polk 1 0-0 2, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Dwyer 1 0-0 3, Njoku 8 8-10 24, Ruby 3 1-2 7, Konneh 2 0-0 5, Nwobodo 1 0-0 2, Jones 2 0-1 6. Totals 19 9-13 51.

3-point goals – Smy 9 (Credle 4, Carter 2, Wiley, Salako, DeMoe); San 4 (Jones 2, Dwyer, Konneh).