Demetric Austin arrived at Springbrook this school year as a sophomore and immediately joined the starting lineup of the two-time defending Maryland 4A champions. Within a month, though, the 6-foot-6 forward had trouble finishing under the basket, and he found himself on the bench, looking for confidence.
"It got in my head," Austin said of his benching. "I went home saying to myself, 'I'm not there to be a ghost. I'm there to dominate.' "
Austin put his words into action in the Blue Devils' 69-67 home victory over Whitman on Thursday night. Austin scored a career-high 28 points, including 17 in the second half as the ninth-ranked Blue Devils erased a 17-point first-half deficit and held off a furious rally in the final 90 seconds by the Vikings, who missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
Springbrook (18-1) had already clinched the top seed in the Maryland 4A West Region tournament, and Whitman (12-6) was assured of the region's third seed. Yet that didn't temper the pace or emotion of the game.
PHOTO: Springbrook's Demetric Austin, who scored a career-high 28 points, shoots a layup over Whitman's Charlie Waugh (10). (Ricky Carioti - Washington Post)
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