C.M. Wright heats up, shuts down Woodlawn
Bays scores 38 points en route to 67-58 comeback win
C. Milton Wright stumbled at the start of Friday's Class 3A North region final at Woodlawn. The Mustangs found plenty of open shots but missed their first 10 while the Warriors raced to a 10-0 lead.
Corey Bays then led No. 13 C. Milton Wright to a stunning comeback. Bays made several timely shots and free throws, finishing with a game-high 38 points as the Mustangs rallied and took command in the fourth quarter en route to a 67-58 victory over No. 12 Woodlawn.
The win gave C. Milton Wright (22-3) its second straight region crown, both of which were earned on the road against a Baltimore County opponent. The Mustangs won at Milford Mill last year before falling to eventual 3A champion Centennial in the state semifinals. They will meet Huntingtown on Thursday at 3 p.m. in a Class 3A state semifinal in College Park.
Bays sparked the C. Milton Wright offense and helped keep the Mustangs within shouting distance after their poor start. He made 10 field goals — including four 3-pointers — and hit 14 of 16 from the free-throw line. His 14-point effort in the third quarter and six fourth-quarter free throws were big reasons the Mustangs turned the game around.
“I knew they were going to come out [hard],” Bays said. “But we knew this was going to be a long game. We just kept on fighting.”
C. Milton Wright coach Jon Stefanides liked how his team rebounded after the shaky beginning and was proud of the way the players stayed settled, something that had been an issue occasionally.
“We've had a hard time at times dealing with adversity this season,” he said. “I said, ‘Keep your head in the game.' [This] just showed the growth they've made during the season.”
Kyle Harkins helped Bays and the Mustangs by scoring 17 points, nine of which came in that fourth quarter, when C.?Milton Wright scored 15 of the game's last 18 points.
Harkins and Bays also helped on defense, which increased its intensity in the second half. The Mustangs began pressing and trapping much more, something that seemed to throw the Woodlawn offense off its rhythm. In the first half, Juwan Lane (20 points) helped the Warriors to a 34-25 lead, but they scored just eight baskets in the final two quarters.
Woodlawn began driving to the basket more and showing less patience on offense in the second half. In addition, the Mustangs began heating up from the field, and that made life tougher for the Warriors defense — and that began turning the game around.
“We were having to face shooters from different parts of the floor,” Woodlawn coach Bobby Richardson said. “We began to trade 3s for 2s, and it doesn't come out even.”
The key stretch came after Woodlawn's Deontay Marshall (16 points) led a fourth-quarter run that tied the game at 55 with just over two minutes left.
C. Milton Wright then went on that 15-3 run, during which it made seven of 10 free throws to lock up another trip to the state semifinals.
“I'm just excited to go back to Xfinity Center,” Bays said with a smile. “We want to finish what we started last year.”