When Herman Harried became Lake Clifton's coach last season, some wondered if his disciplined style would fit at the East Baltimore school known then for its up-tempo style.
After some ups and downs, the Lakers and Harried may have finally found a perfect fit.
The No. 11-ranked Lakers won the Class 4A North region championship last night, defeating No. 6 Southern-Baltimore, 53-41, at Dunbar.
The Lakers (16-6) advanced to the state semifinals, where they will play either Sherwood or defending state Class 4A champ Gaithersburg Thursday night. The two Montgomery County teams will vie for the West regional championship today.
Junior guard Teoine Carroll led Lake Clifton with 19 points, and Kenneth Purnell added 12. Isaiah Johnson led Southern (17-6) with 15 points.
The Lakers completed a season sweep of Southern, having beaten the Bulldogs, 59-57, in overtime on Dec. 19. Last night's loss also ended the Bulldogs' 15-game winning streak.
"It has taken time to get them to understand," said Harried, a former player at Dunbar and Syracuse, explaining his system. "They started to feed into it, and they started getting results. Once that happened, they've continued."
Lake Clifton controlled the game's pace for most of the second half, pulling away midway in the final quarter to clinch its first state semifinal appearance since 1995, when Shawnta Rogers (George Washington) led the Lakers to their only state Class 4A title.
The Lakers have no names, but each player has developed a role. Javis Wiggins had 10 rebounds last night, Brandon Haughton got nine, and Purnell shut down Southern's Melvin Scott, who scored only seven points.
"Coach has always wanted us to play with patience," said Byrd, who handed out six assists. "Sometimes we got out of control, but we're starting to understand what he was saying."
Over the last month, Southern has played its best basketball of the season. But the Bulldogs were unable to get on track against the Lakers.
The Bulldogs were within 39-36 with 5: 52 remaining after a free throw by Darnell Dorsey. But seconds later, Dorsey was called for a technical foul, leading to two free throws by Carroll. Byrd then dished off to Javis Wiggins, who hit a short jumper for a 43-36 lead.
The Bulldogs never recovered, rushing shots as the lead climbed to 47-36 with 2: 19 left.
"I don't think we played too bad defensively, but we didn't execute in the halfcourt," said Southern coach Meredith Smith. "We just weren't poised on offense and didn't execute the way we've been executing to win 15 straight."
The Bulldogs had a 11-7 advantage midway in the first quarter but went nearly eight minutes before their next basket. Lake Clifton built a 17-13 lead before Southern pulled even. The Lakers led at halftime, 19-17.
Pub Date: 3/06/99