COLLEGE PARK -- After taking a 51-49 lead on JoJo Whitaker's basket to start the fourth quarter, Meade simply collapsed, and Oxon Hill took advantage last night.

Meade (24-3) made seven turnovers and hit only 4-of-13 shots the rest of the way, but the Clippers used a 15-0 run to build a 68-56 victory in the teams' Class 4A state semifinal at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House.

Michael Sweetney, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior who has committed to Georgetown, had game-high totals of 31 points (13-for-16 from the floor), 15 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Clippers back to the state final.

With 22 consecutive wins, Oxon Hill will play Baltimore's Lake Clifton, a 61-49 winner last night over Montgomery County's Sherwood, in Saturday's 8 p.m. state final.

Oxon Hill has never won a state title in four appearances but has advanced to the final on all five visits to Cole. Oxon Hill was there 1955 through 1957 but not again until last year.

Oxon Hill lost a 96-91 decision to Gaithersburg in last year's championship game that went a marathon five overtimes.

"If it goes that long again, I hope we win this time," said Clippers coach Billy Lanier, who added that he was not at all surprised by Meade's effort last night.

"We knew they were a good team," he said. "You don't win 24 games if you're not."

Meade, with an Anne Arundel County record for wins, was making its first appearance in the final four since 1993, when the Mustangs lost in the championship game to another Prince George's County team, Largo, by 82-70.

Last night was the Mustangs' fourth appearance overall in Meade's 22 years with Butch Young as the only coach the school has had.

"Everything just seemed to break down after our kids had played pretty darned well," said a teary Young in trying to explain what happened at the end. "Maybe we were getting tired, but it seemed like our brains turned off and weren't getting enough oxygen."

Meade fell behind, 47-40, with just under four minutes left in the third period, but a pair of free throws by Terrell Ross with four seconds left in the quarter brought them back to a tie at 49.

Meade out-rebounded Oxon Hill, 39-19. Ross, who led Meade with seven rebounds, tied Jeff Charles for team-high scoring honors with 13 points. The Mustangs seniors also had two assists each.

After Whitaker's basket to start the last eight minutes, the Mustangs did not score for nearly seven minutes on, when Ross hit a basket.

Sweetney, who played all 32 minutes, ignited the crucial Oxon Hill run with a stick-back and scored five more points as the Clippers pulled away.

"I think we surprised everybody, not just tonight, but all season with what we did," said Charles, who was Meade's only returning starter this season. "We played hard but just broke down mentally, and the turnovers really cost us."

Sweetney scored 10 of his points in the first period on a variety of moves, but Meade hung in with a trio of three-pointers by three players.

Charles, who had five first-period points, point guard Eric Brown (eight points, three assists) and Melvin Montgomery (five points, two assists) sank the treys, and the Mustangs trailed by 18-17 after the first eight minutes.

Oxon Hill led 31-29 at half.

Pub Date: 3/12/99