By Andy Walter

DOVER — When these guys were freshmen, Smyrna High was on top of the boys’ basketball world in Delaware.

While the Eagles ended up losing in the DIAA state finals, they were defending state champions and two-time Henlopen Conference champs.

So it was pretty satisfying for this year’s Smyrna’s seniors to finally come home with a trophy of their own.

The Eagles captured their first Henlopen crown in three years by putting away a 59-53 victory over South champion Seaford in the conference title game at Dover on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in front of a limited number of fans because of the pandemic, instead of the usual sold-out gym, North champion Smyrna (15-0) took control in the third quarter before holding off the determined Blue Jays (11-2).

“I never really had a chance to do this myself,” senior guard Elijah Credle said about winning a title. “It felt like it was my turn.”

“We definitely did work hard for this,” said senior forward Olumuyiwa Salako. “It was definitely one of our goals — one of the boxes we could check off. It feels good to check it off finally.”

In a game that was tied 26-26 at halftime, the Eagles never trailed in the second half. Their lead eventually grew to 10 after three quarters and to 47-36 when Credle sank a three-pointer with 7:10 remaining in the game.

Seaford, though, hung around, closing within just 49-46 when Brent Ricketts buried a three-pointer with 1:30 still on the clock.
After that, however, the Jays couldn’t get the ball back without fouling and Smyrna went 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 1:21. Credle hit the first six of those foul shots before senior Robert Wiley hit the last four.

Credle finished with 22 points while Salako had 13 and junior Elisha Gregory added 12.

“I knew my team trusted me,” said Credle. “That’s why I took all that pressure.”

“We’ve got a lot of young guys that have contributed and stepped up big for us,” said Smyrna coach Andrew Mears. “But, when it’s all said and done, we’re going to rely on our seniors to make the plays that they need to make.

“He’s a gamer,” Mears said about Credle. “He’s a captain for us, he’s a leader. He does all the right things at practice so I trust his instincts on the court.”

The Jays, who were trying to win the program’s first conference title since 1988, got a big game from Ricketts. The sophomore finished with 28 points, hitting four three-pointers.

Seaford has a first-round bye in the upcoming state tournament. The Jays will host either Delmarva Christian or Sussex Central on Thursday evening.

Seeded sixth, Smyrna also hosts a game on Thursday against either St. Mark’s or Red Lion Christian.

The Eagles would like to think they’re capable of making some noise in the tourney — just like the program did when these seniors were in eighth and ninth grade.

“I feel like this team can do it,” said Salako. “We work hard every day. I see it — we all have the same goals. We all want to do the same thing.”

Mears said this group has already made a name for itself, though.

“It’s been quite a year and this is quite a team,” said Mears. “The personalities on this team — some of the kids have been with me for four years. It’s very exciting to see them get ‘hardware’ out of it.

“But it’s more exciting to know what type of kid it’s going to. I’m very proud of these guys.”