Seaford in quarterfinals for first time since 1999: Bolden’s layup lifts Blue Jays by Dover 59-57

By Tim Mastro
Posted 3/6/21

SEAFORD — Careen Bolden was not even born yet the last time the Seaford High boys’ basketball team reached the state quarterfinals.

Bolden and the rest of this new generation of Blue …

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Seaford in quarterfinals for first time since 1999: Bolden’s layup lifts Blue Jays by Dover 59-57

Posted

SEAFORD — Careen Bolden was not even born yet the last time the Seaford High boys’ basketball team reached the state quarterfinals.

Bolden and the rest of this new generation of Blue Jay players are doing their part to help bring the Seaford program back to where it was a couple of decades ago.

Bolden’s left-handed layup with two seconds left was the difference as Seaford defeated Dover 59-57 in the third round of the DIAA boys’ basketball state tournament on Saturday night. The Seaford freshman drove to his left down the lane from the top of the key and finished through traffic for the game-winning basket.

It is the first time Seaford has reached the quarterfinals since 1999.

“It’s real special, we’re the underdog,” said Bolden, who scored all seven of his points in the fourth quarter. “Nobody really wants us to win, so when we come out and win, we prove the haters wrong.”

Seaford (13-2), seeded fifth in the tournament, will travel to No. 4 Tower Hill (11-2) on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.

The Blue Jays trailed by as much as 10 points in the third quarter, but closed the gap behind junior Tyrese Fortune, who scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. Fortune gave Seaford its first lead since the first half when he drained a three with 2:34 left for a 55-54 advantage.

The game was tied 57-57 for the final minute until a Dover turnover out of bounds gave Seaford the ball with 25 seconds to go. Bolden dribbled the clock down under 10 seconds and passed to fellow freshman Aviyan Matthews, who quickly gave the ball back to Bolden to set up his game-winning drive.

Dover called timeout and was able to get the game’s top scorer, sophomore Jaheim Harrell, a decent look at the buzzer. But Harrell’s heave from near midcourt bounced off the rim as time expired.

“It’s a play (Villanova coach) Jay Wright runs and it’s called ‘Win It’,” said Dover coach Stephen Wilson. “Almost. I thought the kids gave everything they got.”

Seaford, which does not have a senior on its roster, won its first playoff game since the 1999 season last year when it knocked off Hodgson. This year, the Blue Jays earned a first-round bye and have defeated Delmarva Christian and Dover on their way to the quarterfinals.

“Having so many young guys, I think they probably aged a year or two, which could be good moving forward,” said Seaford coach Vince Evans, a player from the 1997 Seaford team which won the state title. “Hopefully we can bottle up those last three or four minutes and play like that for 32 minutes on Tuesday.”

Brent Ricketts added 17 points for the Blue Jays. Ricketts capped off a string of three consecutive three-pointers by the Blue Jays, one each from Fortune, Bolden and Ricketts, which pulled the Blue Jays within 49-47 with 6:02 remaining.

Fortune’s second half scoring outburst was a welcomed sight for Seaford, considering it looked like his night nearly ended at the end of the second quarter. Fortune came up holding his knee after being knocked to the floor going for a rebound.

The game was stopped as trainers attended to Fortune on the floor before he limped into the locker room. But when the teams came out for the third quarter, Fortune was back on the court.

“I couldn’t quit on my team,” Fortune said. “When I went down, I was like, ‘I can’t go out like that.’ I fixed myself and told my coaches I was ready.”

Harrell scored 27 points for the Senators, who graduate just one senior from this team. Elijah Sessoms followed with seven while Caesar Gilbert and Dymear Yelverton contributed six points each.

“I like my team and I like my staff,” Wilson said. “I think we’ve gelled and come together, but we have to have a hell of an offseason and a hell of a preseason. I think we will. I think we set the precedent to know that we’re not done.”

Dover, which was seeded 21st and reached the third round after knocking off No. 12 Lake Forest, wrapped up its year at 12-5 — two years removed from a state title appearance and one year removed from a potential state championship run that ended before the semifinals as the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilson said he was glad to be able to have a season this year during the pandemic to give his young team something to build off of into next year.

“I’d rather wear a mask and let the kids play than not play at all,” Wilson said. “I think we proved some people wrong this year and we let it be known that we’ll be around for a little bit. We have some talented young guys. We just have to mature, get better and continue to work. I’m pleased with what we’re doing for this group to finish where they finished and where we finished in the conference. We just need to be in these types of environments more. I can’t wait to get back to work.”

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