Boys Basketball: In Season Finale, Lions Blow Out Visiting Towson

It can be easy for a team to lose focus on senior night, with the pregame introductions and an unfamiliar starting lineup. That was the case Wednesday night at when the Towson Generals scored three quick points to open the game and seemed to take emotional control early.

After a few possessions where Towson could have built a larger lead, Dulaney head coach Matt Lochte subbed in his normal starters, which immediately changed the game. After tying the score at five, the Lions never looked back cruising to a 65-40 win, their second over Towson.

The victory was the Lions' fourth in a row. They ended the season at 9-12 before the playoffs begin.

“It’s a rivalry. We all know each other, we all grew up playing against each other. This being our last time playing each other, we made sure it was special,” said senior captain Justin Armstrong, who finished with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds). “My team made it so easy, the crowd made it so easy. Everything came together at the end. It felt really nice.”

Trailing by three, Armstrong opened the scoring for the Lions with a three-point shot.

Tim Jarosinski gave the Generals the lead back with a basket in the paint. But Dulaney senior Nick Libertini quickly answered with a basket of his own to even the score at five.

From there, the Lions took off.

Kyle Williams scored the games’ next four points and by the end of the quarter, the Lions led, 15-6.

Dulaney continued to build its lead until halftime. The team made its biggest gains after the break, during which Armstrong said Lochte gave an inspiring speech.

In their last home game of the season, the Lions outscored the rival Generals 21-9, causing visiting Towson students to leave. Junior Will Darley led Dulaney during that stretch, scoring nine of his game-high 20 points.

From the opening possession, the Lions out-hustled Towson, especially in transition and offensive rebounds.

The dominant third period was unlike many of Dulaney’s third-period performances, including a two-game stretch in which the team combined for just eight points at the team’s worst.

“We’ve been getting pounded recently on the boards, even with the wins. There were a lot of people banging in practice,” Armstrong said. “When it comes to game time, everyone’s working together. You see the good teamwork in practice and that carries over to this.”

Said Towson head coach Tim Gavin: “They killed us on the glass offensively. They brought a lot of energy. We just couldn’t match the energy. … After that first quarter, once we got down [nine], it just wasn’t there anymore. You could just see it.”

In their final game at Dulaney, the seniors made significant contributions.

Armstrong led the team vocally and on the boards, with seven of his 10 rebounds coming on the offensive end. He also took two charges and made a couple blocks. Libertini (nine points) laid his body on the line, diving for several balls and crashing to the floor after blocks and rebounds. Kelsey Randall hustled for rebounds and used his size on defense. Jake Mathey ran the point well and made several rebounds.

“When you have four seniors that have been with you as long as these seniors, you don’t have just them. You have their brothers and sisters that come to every game, you have their friends, you have their parents. This was a great group,” Lochte said.