HERSHEY — A run at a second straight state championship came up a little short for Neighborhood Academy on Friday afternoon, as the Bulldogs dropped a 55-52 decision to Sankofa Freedom in the PIAA Class A boys basketball finals at Giant Center.
Neighborhood Academy led in the opening minute of the fourth quarter 42-41, but a 7-0 run by the Warriors put the District 12 champions up for good.
“It’s a tough game,” Neighborhood Academy coach Jordan Marks said. “I feel bad for the guys. We hadn’t lost in the playoffs for a while.”
The Bulldogs (25-4) began to lose control of the game in the third quarter. Though Neighborhood Academy was 5 for 5 from the floor in the third quarter, it saw a six-point lead turn into the 41-40 deficit because of five turnovers and a 1-for-4 showing at the free throw line.
Elijah Cunningham regained the lead with a layup on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, but that 42-41 advantage would be the last for Neighborhood Academy. A free throw by Samad Geary-West tied it for Sankofa Freedom (24-8), and two more free throws by Nasir Brown put the Warriors up for good.
The margin was never larger than six points in the last five minutes, so the Bulldogs had opportunities. That was especially true after Kedron Gilmore hit two free throws with 54.3 seconds left to cut it to 51-49. After a defensive stop, Gilmore brought the ball down court and was fouled. However, the Warriors were not in the penalty yet.
Gilmore got the ball off of the inbound pass and had a potential game-tying jumper roll in and out of the basket. Jameel Brown made four free throws in the last 25 seconds to extend Sankofa Freedom’s lead to 55-49. Gilmore hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to polish off his 21-point performance, but Neighborhood Academy had no time outs left and the clock expired.
The Bulldogs were trying to rally with one hand tied behind their back, so to speak. Just a few seconds apart, D’Andre Green and Derick Hardeman fouled out. Three other players finished with four fouls.
“I don’t think we’ve even had more than one player with four or five fouls,” Marks said. “I kept checking with my assistant. ‘How many does he have?’ ‘Four.’ ‘Well, how many does he have?’ ‘Four.’”
Dante Wright had 14 points for Neighborhood Academy. Gilmore and Green had seven rebounds and three assists each.
Nafis Dubose led Sankofa with 18 points, while Nasir Brown had 15, as the Warriors avenged a 60-51 loss to the Bulldogs in last year’s championship game.
It seemed that Neighborhood Academy’s zone defense was working, no matter who was in foul trouble. The Warriors shot only 34%, while the Bulldogs shot 51% from the floor.
“It’s very hard. We wanted them to take tough shots…we did that,” Marks said. “That’s what makes me feel bad. They did what we needed them to do.”
However, a 23-for-31 showing from the free throw line made the difference for Sankofa Freedom. Neighborhood Academy was 8 for 12.
The contest had an odd start, including a player shooting free throws 30 seconds after being fouled. The scorers’ table missed that the Bulldogs were in the penalty when Nasir Brown was fouled late in the first quarter. After a basked by Jameel Brown, officials stopped play and let Nasir Brown take the free throws, both of which were good.