VIDEO: Sherwood sneaks past boys basketball

Sherwood (12-5) came to Nelson H. Kobren Gym on Monday night, fresh off two big wins over division heavyweights Magruder and Springbrook. The Warriors were no doubt expecting an easy W against a struggling Blair squad that they had already beaten handily earlier in the season.

But as the first half progressed, it became clear that things weren't going to be that simple for Sherwood. Warrior guard Scott Bolen (team-leading 18 ppg) got off to a hot start, sinking threes and hitting tough baseline floaters, but Blair matched its opponent's offensive intensity early on. Senior forward Josh Kickenson, coming off a season-high 12 points against Gaithersburg, picked up where he left off with two first half three-balls. The Blazers trailed just 34-30 at the break.

The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to start the second half, but Blair fought back and cut the deficit to 1 after junior forward Delonte Gaskin's offensive board and put-back to end the third quarter. The Blazers threatened to take the lead at several points during the fourth quarter, but couldn't muster up the energy to get key defensive stops. Sherwood scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Bolen hit clutch free throws down the stretch to finish with a game-high 30 points, cementing a 66-61 win.

Despite the loss, Blair head coach Mark Destefano was able to draw some positives from the game. "I'm not happy losing, because I thought it was a winnable game," he said. "But at the same time, we made a winning effort. We played hard, we executed. Sometimes you get the ball to bounce your way, and sometimes it doesn't."

Gaskin led Blair with 17 points, while Kickenson and senior forward Ethan Brown chipped in 13 apiece. Check out game highlights to the right, including Bolen's hot shooting, a nasty dime from Kickenson to Gaskin at 2:30 and post-game interviews.

With the loss, Blair falls to 3-15 on the season. The Blazers have four regular season games remaining to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.

Editor's note: Mark DeStefano is an advisor to Silver Chips Online.