Springbrook underwhelms, but remains unbeaten

Boys basketball: Springbrook 62, B-CC 36

Cooley, a three-year starter who opened the season with 49 points in two victories, broke two bones in his hand during the Barons’ five-point loss Friday night to Damascus. He was slated to have surgery Tuesday, and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, minimum. If that weren’t bad enough, the Barons were also missing starting senior guard Jordan Wheeler, who was sick.

The domino effect not only was a depletion of their roster, it actually diminished the intensity level on the other side. The Blue Devils (5-0) played a sloppy game by their standards, turning the ball over time and again in a first half that saw them go into halftime with only a 24-19 lead.

Springbrook was simply too fast for B-CC (3-2) in the second half, scoring transition points in bunches en route to the rout. Still, the Devils believe they’re a better team than they showed in their 26-point win, the largest margin of victory in any of their five games.

‘‘I didn’t really get on them at halftime — I waited until after the game,” said Springbrook head coach Tom Crowell. ‘‘We won, but you’ve got to take into consideration that they didn’t have their best player tonight. And to be honest, the way we played, I’m glad he wasn’t here.”

Though they didn’t play up to the lofty expectations they’ve set over the past year and change — 25 victories in 29 games since the beginning of the 2006-07 season — there were certainly flashes of why the Blue Devils are such a good team. They translated pestering defense into quick-strike offense, with the explosive Garner once again at the forefront. He didn’t shoot particularly well, but scored 15 points and even blocked two shots under the basket despite his 5-foot-10 frame.

The real story was junior Jamal Olasewere, who has come into his own early in the season. The 6-4 power forward showcases a feathery touch outside, but does most of his damage on the blocks. He was a force the Barons could not handle all night, grabbing 23 points, eight rebounds and four colossal blocked shots.

‘‘Jamal was just killing — killing the boards,” said Garner. ‘‘Things weren’t really going our way tonight, but luckily we were athletic enough to get all the rebounds and get in transition.”

Springbrook’s two top scorers combine with center Ebou Touray (11 rebounds) and the point-guard⁄small-forward brother tandem of Mounda and Jeremy Williams to form maybe the most athletic starting lineup in the county. It will be put to the test this Friday against also-unbeaten Magruder, who beat the Blue Devils twice a year ago.