New Town dresses only seven players for each game, so that’s why its team motto of “All In” means fits well.
Since the Titans do not have a deep bench, coach Steve Anderson said it’s important for his team to understand the motto and live up to it. Everyone needs to help. New Town did that in a big way Friday night, scoring 30 points in the first quarter and rolling to a 75-11 victory over visiting Overlea in a Class 2A North Region first-round game.
New Town (18-4) hosts Eastern Tech in a second-round matchup Monday night. The Mavericks routed Randallstown 75-43 in their first-round game Friday.
The Titans overwhelmed Overlea (5-13) in just about every way. New Town hounded them on defense — limiting the Falcons to only four baskets — finding a variety of shots on offense and racing to a 54-4 halftime lead.
Janiya Burton led the way with 25 points while Alex Mann (19 points) and Jourdyn Ayers (16) all pitched in, using 3s, back-door passes and cuts plus strong drives. Jalane Campbell ran the offense well with 14 assists, and all seven New Town players scored, which made Anderson a happy coach.
“It’s important that they understand. ... We’ve all got to do it together,” Anderson said. “We’ve got a short bench. It’s all about commitment, and they do everything they need to do as a team.”
New Town went to a lot of full-court pressure early in the game and when the Falcons got the ball over mid-court, the Titans still kept players right on them. Rare was the possession when Overlea could get any type of good look at the basket.
The Titans helped force 37 turnovers, most of which they turned into points. Anderson slowed the pace in the second half as there was a running clock, no shot clock, and he simply had his group play a more halfcourt style.
“Coach wants us to be a defensive program,” Burton said. “Defense always wins games.”
Mann said the Titans know they’ve got to play as a group, especially on defense, and always work together.
“We played really good defense,” Mann said. “We wanted to make it hard for them and play our best game.”
Zaniya Jenkins topped Overlea with six points, including its only 3-pointer.
The Titans struggled all of last year and went out in the second round of the playoffs, and they want to do better this season. That’s why the “all in” motto fits well as this is a group that has its eyes on getting to the states and making some noise there.
New Town was playing against a bit of an overmatched team in this game but still performed consistently at both ends. That’s what Anderson and his players want to see, and it’s what they’ll need to make a run to the states.
“We were pretty good,” said Ayers. “I think that we can do better, but we played a good team game.”
O - Jenkins 6, Davis 1, Kirby 2, Valquesz 2. Totals: 4 2-5 11.
N - Ayers 16, Burton 25, Turner 2, Campbell 4, Evans 5, Mann 19, Arrendell 4. Totals: 29 10-17 75. Half: N, 54-4.