More News

Often overlooked because of its small size, the Blake boys basketball team knows better than to underestimate anyone. So the second-seeded Bengals were not fooled by visiting Frederick's .500 record entering Saturday's Class 3A West Region final.

Blake capitalized on a strong start to win 67-57 and earn its first regional title since its 2005 run to the Class 4A state final and third overall.

The Bengals (19-3) will face the winner of the 3A South Region on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Comcast Center in College Park.

"People look at us and look at our height and size but you can't open up the hearts of these kids and these kids have tremendous heart and desire," Blake coach Marcus Wiggins said. "Any time you get to represent the region in the state tournament is a great thing. We've got the wallpaper and now we're in the position to affect what it says."

Fear can be a good thing, depending on how you react. Blake watched Frederick (12-13), which ousted the tournament's top seed, Quince Orchard, in the quarterfinals, drop 50 points in the first half of its semifinal win over Kennedy and crafted a well-executed gameplan for Saturday.

Blake normally thrives off perimeter shooting, but also possesses the speed to match Frederick's up-tempo style of play. The Bengals dominated the boards — they outrebounded the Cadets 37-26 — and pushed the ball up the floor well.

Junior Brandon Hedley knocked down three 3-pointers and scored a team-high 22 points Saturday. Classmates Ryan Frazier and Matt McGugan added 16 and 12 points respectively.

Six-foot-3 McGugan and seniors Nathan Dalgetty (6-4) and Taylor Miller (6-1) were strong around the rim.

"I was there at that [state final in 2005] and saw what it took," Hedley said. "We haven't been to Comcast in a few years and we've just wanted it more than every team we've played so far. We want to go in there and bring back the state banner."

Blake made an early statement with a 20-4 first-quarter run. But Frederick answered that with a streak of its own early in the second to get within three points.

The Bengals responded to go up 11 at halftime and never led by less than nine points for the remainder of the contest.

The Cadets, led by junior Jordan Dawson (17) and sophomore Jalen Gee (15), had their chances but were hindered by poor shot selection at times.

Their run to the regional final helped salvage what looked to be a struggling season early; Frederick started 6-11 before winning five of its last six contests.

Wiggins admitted his team might not be as talented through and through as some of its opponents. But each of his players has a role and now that the Bengals are comfortable with their responsibilities, Blake is running like a well-oiled machine.

"A lot of people look at us and think we have two players," Wiggins said. "But we are a team, not just two people. We defined everyone's roles early and they respect their roles. And that's what has helped us get this far."