The biggest question facing the Springbrook boys' basketball team this season -- how it would replace the high-scoring tandem of Folarin Campbell and Louis Brookins -- might have been answered last night in the most unexpected but appropriate of places. On the home floor of the Blue Devils' biggest rival.
At Magruder, Springbrook junior guard David Brewster scored a career-high 26 points, and junior forward Sheridan Price added 14 to help the Blue Devils defeat the 20th-ranked Colonels, 64-58, in the Montgomery 4A East Division opener for both teams.
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Price scored 12 of his points in the second half as Springbrook overcame a 12-point deficit.
It was the Blue Devils' third victory in their last four games against Magruder, including last season's Maryland 4A West Region final. All have come by six points or less.
The 6-foot-5 Brewster and the 6-6 Price scored 25 of Springbrook's final 32 points and helped the Blue Devils outscore Magruder 22-4 in the final quarter.
"The way Price and Brewster looked today, they might not miss Brookins and Campbell too much," Magruder Coach Dan Harwood said. "They hit some tough shots."
Last season, Campbell, a two-time All-Met, and Brookins, a fourth-team All-Met selection, accounted for 48 points per game in leading Springbrook to the Maryland 4A championship game. But both graduated, along with several others, leaving Coach Keith Adams with just one returning starter, senior center Louis Woodland, and few players with experience.
"It's nice to see these kids grow up," said Adams, whose team improved to 4-0, 1-0.
Magruder (3-1, 0-1) is just as inexperienced as the Blue Devils, if not more. The Colonels lost all five of their starters from last year's team and have as many sophomores (four) as seniors on their roster. The youth showed in last night's fourth quarter as the Colonels committed four turnovers and did not make a field goal.
Much of that, however, had to do with Springbrook's defense. Woodland (10 points) drew a charge on Magruder's first possession of the fourth quarter, and the Blue Devils limited the Colonels' open shots. After making 6 of 11 three-pointers in the first half (including three by senior guard Patrick Harwood), Magruder missed all nine of its three-point attempts in the second half.
"They can shoot," Brewster said. "So [at halftime] I told my teammates, 'The offense is gonna come, so as long as we contest all their shots, we have a chance.' "
