CATONSVILLE, Md. — It is the eve of the most important day in the history of Carver Vocational-Technical High School boys basketball. On Saturday the Bears will play for their first state championship.
Carver is making its first state final appearance in the school’s 99-year history. The Bears will take on Largo in the class 2A title game Saturday inside Xfinity Center in College Park. Carver is 21-5 on the season.
It has been a rollercoaster ride getting to this point. Carver overcame adversity and obstacles to continue its dream run in the playoffs.
The Bears are the No. 5 seed. They beat defending state champ New Town to claim the school’s first regional title. They then grabbed their first quarterfinal victory over Queen Anne’s in a game that saw an altercation lead to multiple bench player suspensions for a semifinal against top-seeded Middletown, which they won 64-56.
Now there is only one thing left to do - make more history and win it all.
"This was one of my dreams, to go to states. But also I got to make it come true by winning," said Bears guard and captain Rayvon Hasselberger. "It would feel great to bring it home."
"Who wants it more. That is what it really comes down to. I know my brothers got me and I got them. So, [if] we just come out with this and hustle, play our game, don’t overthink it, we’ll be fine," added Bears forward and captain Desmond Handon Jr.
"This is a legacy builder," said head coach Alvin Parker. "There are a lot of great schools in Baltimore. You have some very prestigious sports schools and this is a first for us. So, these guys get to build their own legacy and not too many people get to do that."
The Bears practiced at CCBC Catonsville Friday to help them prepare for a bigger gym like Xfinity Center. Tip-off for Saturday’s 2A state final is set for 3:00 p.m.
Largo is the No. 2 seed so Carver will be the underdog once again. That doesn’t matter to these guys. Handon Jr. said, “We’ve been the underdog for the past three years. Time to embrace it one more time.”
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