By Tim Mastro

DOVER — As well as things were going for Smyrna High, the Eagles often ran into a wall — more specifically that wall was 6-foot-9 Sanford School star Nnanna Njoku.

Njoku led a Sanford comeback with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks to lift the top-seeded Warriors over No. 6 seed Smyrna 51-45 in the DIAA boys’ basketball state title game on Saturday at Dover High.

Njoku, who is headed to play at Villanova next year, scored 13 of his game-high 24 in the fourth quarter.

“We did everything right, we just didn’t have enough of it,” said Smyrna coach Andrew Mears. “They got a tremendous player and a solid team. We gave everything we had and just came up a little short.”

For everything Njoku did, Smyrna senior Elijah Credle was right with him down the stretch.

Credle scored all of Smyrna’s 17 points in the second half, including 12 in the fourth quarter. The senior finished with 20 in his final game.

Smyrna unsurprisingly threw multiple coverages at Njoku, including triple-teaming him often in the second half when he received the ball. By the end of the fourth quarter, Sanford was also triple-teaming Credle on the other end.

“Big players step up in big moments,” Mears said. “I thought Nnanna did that for their team and Credle and some guys did that for our team.”

Njoku scored on Sanford’s first possession of the fourth quarter with a layup plus a foul, hitting the resulting free throw to put Sanford up 35-33. Credle came right back down and drained a three to put Smyrna back in front.

Carter Ruby hit one of two free throws before Njoku gave the Warriors the lead for good at 38-36. Smyrna was able to trade baskets the rest of the way, but never was able to tie or get in front during the final five minutes.

“They were tough, really, really tough,” Njoku said. “They’re a very well-coached team. They weren’t as big as us but they’re strong and were not going to quit. They gave us a dogfight and we came out on top.”

Oliver Jones put Sanford on top 43-38, what was at the time its largest lead, on a three-pointer before Credle answered with another three of his own to make it 43-41 with 3:20 left.

Njoku scored the final eight points for Sanford, as Credle knocked down a pair of floaters to bring the Eagles within two in the final 90 seconds, but the Eagles did not have enough time left for a comeback.

The Eagles led for 22:28 of the contest, compared to Sanford’s 7:24. Smyrna was up by as much as nine in the first half, paced by some hot three-point shooting.

Credle, Rob Wiley, Olumuyiwa Salako, Devin DeMoe and Majesti Carter each hit at least one three in the first half. Carter’s second three of the game came right before the halftime buzzer, giving the Eagles a 28-20 advantage at the break.

However, Sanford picked up its defensive intensity in the second half, leading to an 8-0 run to start the third quarter. Smyrna went 5-of-10 from three in the first quarter, but finished with a 9-of-23 mark from deep.

“Smyrna came out very aggressive early on, shot the ball really well and looked like they wanted it more,” said Sanford coach Stan Waterman. “We made some adjustments at halftime that paid off, just picking up our intensity more than anything else.”

It was the 10th title all-time for Sanford, including eight under Waterman. Aside from Njoku, the Warriors got seven points from Ruby and six from Jones.

Gregory contributed eight points for Smyrna while Carter added six and Salako five. The Eagles were searching for an undefeated season, but settled for a 19-1 overall record and its third championship game appearance since 2017 — Smyrna is 1-2 in those three title games.

“It’s been a tough season but it’s been a very enjoyable one,” Mears said. “That’s not because of the wins, it’s because of this group. This may be one of the better teams I’ve had talent-wise, but it’s the best team I’ve had from a continuity standpoint. A tremendous group, fun and I love them. We had a heck of a year.”