New Town’s Will DeShields scored the first six points in the second overtime and the defense clamped down as the host Titans held on for an 82-74 victory over Middletown in a thrilling Class 2A state semifinal.

Wednesday’s win advanced the Titans (27-1) to the state championship game at 4 p.m. Friday against Largo at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.

A steal by Justus Stanton set up a 3-point play by DeShields, who finished a feed from Tyriq Liggins with 3:08 left in the second overtime.

Less than a minute later, DeShields canned a deep 3-pointer to stretch the lead to six. Mason Whipp’s putback cut the lead to 76-72, but a 3-pointer by Liggins put the game out of reach with 1:30 left in the second extra session.

“They did a great job. They hit some big shots. They hit 13 3s,” Middletown coach John Keimig said. “Kudos to them for making them when they needed to, but I also thought us turning the ball over really hurt in some key moments, giving out some leak out layups kind of killed us in some key moments.”

DeShields made three 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 25 points. Liggins had four 3-pointers and Stanton and Byrd made three each. New Town’s Josh Byrd helped force the second overtime with a 3-pointer that tied the game at 70.

“Whoever is heating up in that moment, that’s who we want to get the ball to,” DeShields said.

DeShields also had a game-high nine steals, including two clutch ones in regulation when the Titans rallied from a 60-56 deficit in the final three minutes.

“I was just staying down and when my opportunities came to poke the ball loose, I took my chances,” DeShields said. “I was just staying down waiting for the opportunity for him to get loose with his dribble.”

A three-point play by Luke Etter with 3:16 left gave the Knights their 60-56 lead in regulation, but a free throw by Justus Stanton (18 points, four steals) and steal and basket by Christion Herbert-Brown cut the deficit to one with 2:34 left. Another steal by Liggins (17 points, six assists) pushed the Titans ahead, 61-60, with 1:40 left, but a double bank by Brittin Poffenbarger (16 points) 15 seconds later gave the Knights a one-point lead.

DeShields’ third steal of the fourth quarter helped the Titans regain the lead with under a minute left. His free throw with 14 seconds left pushed the lead to 64-62.

That set up the play of the night for Middletown.

Facing a trap beyond the top of the key, Poffenbarger found Chase Beard in mid-air under the basket and he converted the shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

“It was a complete breakdown,” Keimig said. “So we had a set that we wanted to float into, just kind of our motion offense and Brit made a great pass to Chase, who caught it and was very conscious about time, so that was just a very heady play on their part.”

Beard finished with a team-high 24 points, but he fouled out late in the second overtime.

In the first overtime, a free throw from Poffenbarger and two from Beard gave Middletown an early advantage, but a 3-point play by Liggins tied it at 67 with 2:16 left.

Middletown’s Will Akingbade answered with a 3-pointer, but 20 seconds later Byrd followed with a deep 3 and the score was tied again at 70 heading into the second overtime.

“We’ve played some tough games this year that hardened us and prepared us for situations like this and we just fought and persevered,” New Town coach Derrick Wise said. “They wanted it so bad. You could just see it in how they played. You could see it in how they rallied around each other late in the overtimes.”

The Titans will try to add the school’s fifth state championship to their Baltimore County and regional titles, and that’s why DeShields contained his excitement after the game.

“We still have one more game. I’m not trying to get excited too early,” he said.

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