For years, Northeast girls basketball’s coach and veteran players became accustomed to the dull feeling of losing night after night. That’s why beating a team like Severna Park – for the first time in 14 years – feels so sweet.
Grins became contagious among the Eagles as the clock ticked to zeros in a 40-30 victory in Pasadena on Tuesday night. Players wrapped each other in hugs, swaying. And yet, as they passed through the line to wish the Falcons a good game, they did not gloat. They did not scream as if they won a championship title, within earshot or the Severna Park girls or anywhere on the floor.
They simply sat quietly, listening to coach Michael Parker break down a few bits of the game afterward.
“Humble,” Parker said. “That’s the word I’m using this year.”
Senior Brynn Jones, despite knowing nothing but success in the spring with softball, never experienced a winning season through her first three winters. It was rough, she said, but she did not give up. Last year, the Eagles began to show glimpses of future success, even in narrow defeats.
“I’ve been trying to push it onto the younger players – we have a lot of them – building up the motivation to be better, so that when I’m gone, and all the seniors are gone, helping them, they already have those leadership values [instilled],” Jones said.
Veterans like Jones took younger players like Nadia Sogbo (nine points) under their wings in the offseason, during the program’s basketball camp. Sogbo had never played organized basketball before coming to high school, competing against her brothers instead. She and Jones grew a close bond, one that translates directly to the floor as Jones, the point guard, flashes down the court to feedt Sogbo for a fast-break basket over and over again.
“I know when I get to a corner, she’ll look up and see me,” Sogbo said. “And I’ll go for a layup.”
Over time, the Eagles went from fitting the players they had into the slots they needed to actually having pieces available that were meant for those positions, and in excess. When sophomore London Jeffers initially arrived, she relieved Madison Burris of center duties. Then came junior Makaila Jones (nine points), who at 5-foot-10 uses her height and skill to edge out opponents for rebounds and baskets.
She offered the first sparks for Northeast on Tuesday, drawing fouls and sinking free throws while the Eagles’ transition game booted up. Once the Eagles kicked into a faster gear, they flipped Severna Park’s early lead, feasting on the Falcons’ turnovers for an 11-8 advantage after the first quarter – one the hosts ultimately never surrendered.
Jeffers and Makaila Jones leaned into the momentum of the first eight minutes to embark on a 12-0 run, seemingly carving easier swathes to the basket every time.
“We’re 10 deep,” Parker said. “We can actually run a three-minute rotation and keep the elevation up.”
As the Eagles veered to a 10-point advantage in the third quarter, Severna Park focused less on trying to lob shots to counter Northeast’s runs. Instead, the Falcons turned their attention to the paint.
Their defense led them toward a rally before offense came. Boxing out and stuffing Northeast shots as the third frame waned to the fourth slowed the Eagles down. Then, when players like Gabi Villegas began consistently finding open looks – including a 3-pointer – the Eagles turned to each other to endure the final few minutes and hold onto the win.
“I like to say, we play with the underdog mentality,” Brynn Jones said. “No one’s scared to play us. Even if they’re all good D-I athletes over there, we just don’t let it get to us.”
Have a sports tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.