Blazers Knock Gophers Out of Winners' Bracket

Cotton Resumes Career with 17-Point Performance

FREDERICK, Md. — After falling behind 6-0 at the outset, Goucher spent the entire first half tonight trying to catch Hood as the two teams squared off in the opening round of the sixth annual Pride of Maryland Championship in the Capt. Jennifer J. Shafer Odom Fitness Center.

The Gophers not only caught the Blazers, they passed them. They went ahead for the first time on a layup by junior forward Shane Yambor (Burtonsville, Md./Paint Branch) with exactly one minute remaining before halftime, and when sophomore guard Dorian Green (Baltimore, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) landed a shot from 3-point range seconds before the buzzer sounded, they were able to walk off the court at the break up 32-30.

The Gophers seemed seemed to want to follow a similar script in the second half, starting with spotting Hood the first nine points of the period and then by trying to overtake the Blazers. They did manage to erase a 39-32 deficit and pull even at 41-41 on a basket by sophomore center Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) with 14:11 left to play.

The score would be tied five more times over the next six minutes before the Blazers went ahead for good on a layup by Justin Stone with 7:19 remaining. Even with Goucher knocking down three 3-pointers during the final 2:50, Hood was able to stretch its lead to double digits and register a 72-62 victory.

The Gophers (0-1), who can still finish as high as fifth place in the eight-team annual Division III state men's basketball tournament, will next face Johns Hopkins in the consolation semifinals on Friday. The Blue Jays were beaten in the opening round tonight by St. Mary's (Md.), 73-66.

All five of Hood's starters contributed at least 10 points to the victory. The five players who came off the bench for the Blazers (2-0) produced only three points.

The leading scorer for the Gophers was junior forward Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook), who sat out the entire 2009-10 season. In his first game in a Goucher uniform since Feb. 21, 2009, he was 6-for-11 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free-throw line as he finished with 17 points.

Green, who nailed 3-point baskets on back-to-back possessions to slice Hood's lead to 63-59 with 1:50 left to play, added 11 points and senior guard Tim Alexander (Hagerstown, Md./Williamsport) chipped in with 10 points.