Severn School Seeking Second Consecutive Conference Championship

Boys Basketball Team Faced Grueling Early Season Schedule to Prepare For League Play

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Severn School varsity boys basketball head coach Michael Glasby wanted to test his athletic and talented team with a challenging December docket so they could improve and prepare to make another run for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) B Conference title.

Last year, Severn won the B Conference title and was ranked the sixth best team in the Baltimore area, according to MaxPreps, a national high school athletic website.

“We created a schedule so we would play strong competition and test our young players and see how they would react to playing some of the best teams in the Baltimore-Washington area,” Glasby said.

In December, the Admirals played local powerhouses Mount Saint Joseph and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, both ranked teams from the Baltimore area, as well as Wise and New Hope Academy out of the Washington, D.C. area. The Admirals also traveled down Route 50 to play in the prestigious Governors Challenge tournament, which invited high schools from the East Coast to Salisbury to battle for bragging rights.

Severn held its own against this challenging slate, losing only four games by a total of 17 points.

“We also wanted to play games on neutral sites and in tough road environments so we could see different styles of offensive and defensive strategies,” said Glasby, who is in his seventh year as Severn’s head coach. “The ultimate goal is to always win the conference title, and by playing this daunting early schedule, we’re more prepared to battle for the conference title.”

The Admirals lost some key players from last year in guard Kinston Price, who is playing at Fordham; Severna Park resident and center Bo Fowler, who is playing football at Richmond; and guard Corey Dixon, who transferred to Good Counsel.

However, Severn returned many key players from last year’s squad including point guard Daniel Growney, guards Jayden Thomas and DJ Lee, forwards Sean Harvey and Severna Park resident Jacob Randall, and center Ben Hilburn.

Randall, who is a four-year starter for the Admirals, also tallied his 1,000th career point total against Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is the team’s leading scorer this year. He also adds tenacious defense, rebounds, steals and assists every game. Randall has been consistent in his scoring with outstanding games versus Curtis High School of New York with 27 points and two blocks, as well as 19 points against Prince George’s powerhouse New Hope Academy.

A senior, Randall is being recruited by Army, Navy, Roanoke, Randolph-Macon and the University of Chicago. Randall uses his 6-foot-4-inch frame and strong leaping ability to score both inside and outside.

“Jacob is an excellent basketball player,” Glasby said. “He works hard, is a quiet leader and a great student with a 3.8 grade point average.”

As of early January, Severn is ranked the ninth best basketball team in the Baltimore area, according to MaxPreps. However, the MIAA B Conference has numerous formidable foes in Annapolis Area Christian School, Concordia Prep in Towson and St. Mary’s, each of which has been ranked in the top 15 teams in the Baltimore area.

Glasby uses a high-temp offense to let the Admirals play fast but with discipline.

“We have several multifaceted players who can score but also rebound and play defense,” Glasby said. “Our strategy is to take away the opponent’s strength and let our players play freely.”

With those early season losses to Mount Saint Joseph and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Glasby hopes that adversity was an investment in the future. His team played hard but let their momentum slip away in the final minutes of those games.

“We had a seven-point lead against Mount Saint Joe and had a two-minute letdown and lost our focus,” Glasby said. “Mount Carmel was just a very tall team, and our center got in foul trouble, and they hurt us in the paint.”

Randall said, “We let those two games slip away from us. We’ve learned to play harder and be physically tougher if we want to beat those ranked teams in Baltimore and D.C. My job as a senior leader is to bring energy and be relentless on both ends if we want to be conference champions again.”

Glasby is hoping his players are “battle-tested” by playing a rigorous schedule in December and those lessons learned will provide Severn with the knowledge and confidence of defending their conference title in February.

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