As the public address announcer for Tuesday’s Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) introduced the teams for the girls 4A semifinal basketball matchup between Bethesda-Chevy Chase and North Point high schools, she called Bethesda-Chevy Chase, the No.1 seed in the 4A bracket, the “designated home team.”
Despite the designation, Tuesday’s game was more of a road matchup for the Barons as the neutral site semifinal was predetermined to be held at their opponents’ gymnasium, which included a grueling rush-hour commute to Waldorf. Even with the advantages of being the higher seed stripped, a dominant third quarter pushed Bethesda-Chevy Chase to a 51-31 victory over fifth-seeded North Point.
“It was different, it was a wild environment,” Bethesda-Chevy Chase head coach Ryan Ingalls said after the game. “Just a special environment, honestly it was fun to play here.”
On Sunday, Rex Garcia-Hidalgo, president of Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s sports boosters club, sent a letter to Lynette Mitzel, director of the MPSSAA’s girls basketball committee, pleading for the game location to be changed. He noted the game is not only taking place in an opponent’s gym, but that the 7 p.m. start time meant getting to the game would likely be a two-hour commute in the midst of rush-hour traffic.
No change was made, and none was needed. The Barons clinched a spot in their first-ever state championship game where they will face the third-seeded Clarksburg High Coyotes, who defeated Charles H. Flowers, to set up a rematch of the Montgomery County Championship Game. The state championship will take place on Friday and Saturday at the XFINITY Center at the University of Maryland. A game schedule won’t be released until all semifinal games are played Wednesday night.
Despite foul trouble, Bethesda-Chevy Chase maintained a slight lead for the entirety of the first half. A poor start to the third quarter led to North Point tying the game at 19 with 5:42 left in the quarter. Moments later, a 3-pointer from Anna Tercyak served as the catalyst of a 19-5 run to end the third quarter.
“We got stops, we got looks in transition, we made some nice passes and got some open 3-point shots, big shots, and then kept playing the defense that we play,” Ingalls said.
Throughout the game, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase defense swarmed North Point, forcing numerous traveling violations and errant passes while also disrupting the rhythm of the Eagles offense. During his postgame press conference, North Point head coach Michael Serpone said his team turned the ball over 18 times in the opening half alone.
“We knew that if we pressured them and maybe got in their heads a little bit and made them make some mistakes–that we could really capitalize on that,” Bethesda-Chevy Chase guard Elisha Robinson said after the game.
In the final quarter, the Barons defense continued to cause havoc as the lead extended to 25 points in the early portion. It wasn’t long before Ingalls started gradually removing her starters from the game, each one getting a booming ovation from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase supporters who made the trek to Waldorf.
When the final buzzer blared, the players gathered to celebrate and a number of those fans joined the players on the court.
“Our students, parents and fans did a really good job of coming out and supporting us, which helped us just feel as much at home as it could have been,” said Tercyak, who led the Barons with 16 points. Jaylin Harried was the other Baron who got into double-figures, scoring 11 points.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase now sits at 25-2 on the season, with one of those two losses coming against Clarksburg on Jan. 23. Exactly a month later, the Barons overcame a 17-point deficit to win the county championship. This weekend’s rubber match will end with either program winning its first-ever state championship.
“We really try to take it one game at a time, so I haven’t been thinking about it too much, but right now I’m thinking about it,” Robinson said of her team making it to a state championship game, eliciting laughter from her coaches and media members. “I’m just really proud of us and I’m really excited for the opportunity.”