- May 3, 2024
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Atlantic coach David Howard talks with forward Dewarren Bolden during the game. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Anterrion Harrison shoots a hook shot against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Sharks guard Kendall Bean helps up teammate Jordan Sears. Photo by Ray Boone
The Sharks' Kendall Bean (No. 5) celebrates with his teammates after making a 3-pointer. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Kendall Bean (No. 5) celebrates with his teammates after sinking a 3-pointer. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic forward Dewarren Bolden blocks a shot against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic forward Dewarren Bolden goes up for a dunk against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Dewarren Bolden leaps for a loose ball against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Dewarren Bolden attempts to block a Mainland player's jumpshot. Photo by Ray Boone
The Sharks' Dewarren Bolden dunks a ball against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
The Sharks' Dewarren Bolden claps after a call by the refs. Photo by Ray Boone
Sharks coach David Howard gives instructions to forward Dewarren Bolden. Photo by Ray Boone
The Sharks' Jordan Sears plays defense against the Buccaneers. Photo by Ray Boone
Sharks guard Kendall Bean sinks a 3-pointer against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Kenneth Weatherspoon picks up a loose ball against Mainland. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's Kevin Beans drives to the hoop against the Buccaneers. Photo by Ray Boone
Sharks guard Jordan Sears drives to the hoop against the Buccaneers. Photo by Ray Boone
Sharks forward Dewarren Bolden sits alone in a deserted section of the visitors’ locker room. He has his head down and his shoulders slumped. When he looks up, his eyes are slightly puffy. Before he speaks, he lets out a dry cough — he had let out many more throughout the game. He can still feel the sharp pain in his head from the headache he played through.
Fifteen minutes earlier, Bolden, a starter and team captain for the Sharks, watched helplessly from the bench as Buccaneers forward Johnny Brown sank a buzzer-beating layup to upset No. 1 seed Atlantic.
Bolden had been subbed out because he was fatigued from sickness.
“It was hard to watch,” Bolden said of the Buccaneers’ last-second basket. “That was supposed to be the time I was on the court. I should have been out there.”
Brown’s layup lifted Mainland to a 58-56 win over the Sharks (15-4) on the night of Friday, Jan. 19, at Mainland High School.
Sharks coach David Howard said that in addition to Bolden, multiple players on his team were dealing with illnesses. During their last practice, the Sharks were forced to run a skeleton practice because there weren’t enough players dressed out, according to Howard.
He didn’t use it as an excuse for the loss, though.
“We came to play,” Howard said. “We suited up — whether they were healthy or not. “But at the end of the day, Mainland still played a great game.”
Energized by a packed gym, the Buccaneers jumped to an 8-0 lead at the beginning of the first quarter, and throughout the game, both teams battled. The largest lead of the contest was five points.
Atlantic led by four points with 1:14 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
A steal by the Buccaneers tied the game at 56 with 40 seconds to play, and a traveling violation by Sharks forward Anterrion Harrison gave the Buccaneers the ball back with 17.4 seconds to go.
Howard thought the ball was still in Brown’s hand when the buzzer went off, but a replay showed that Brown got the ball off with .1 seconds left on the clock.
“It was Mainland’s night, and I’m OK with that,” Howard said. “The fans got their money’s-worth.”
