PERRYVILLE — Losing in the waning seconds on a 3-pointer was the proverbial gut punch that has stayed with Tyray Johnson long after season’s end.
“I’m hurt,” the head coach of Kent County High School’s girls basketball team said matter-of-factly Thursday, March 13 — a full week after the Trojans’ 56-53 defeat in the Class 1A East Region I championship game at top-seeded Perryville.
The mostly underclassman team anchored by senior Kate Cannon was looking to pin down only the third region title in program history, and first since 2012.
It looked like the magical season would continue for the underdog Trojans when junior Jayla Sisco’s layup with 11 seconds remaining evened the score at 53.
Perryville immediately called a time-out to map out its response, which came in the form of a Carsyn Hulbert 3-pointer that sealed a come-from-behind victory for the defending champion Panthers.
Hulbert finished with a game-high 23 points as Perryville posted its 17th win of the season.
After falling behind early, 12-5, the Trojans (8-13) closed out the half on a 14-8 run that included eight unanswered points to shrink the deficit to 20-19. Sisco scored six of her team-high 18 points in the second-quarter rally.
Perryville opened the second half on a 5-1 run, extending the spread to 25-20, which was wiped out when KCHS scored 15 of the next 18 points to take its largest lead of the night, 35-28.
Cannon, who had been held to a pair of free throws in the first half, took over in the third quarter with seven of her 12 points as KCHS pulled ahead, 39-35, heading into the final frame.
Perryville (17-4) ratcheted up the defensive pressure to start the fourth quarter; a full-court press paid off as Trojan turnovers led to fast-break buckets for the Panthers.
Plagued by foul trouble, and ultimately losing two starters to fouls, the Trojans battled back to tie the game at 49 on a Love Jackson layup with 2 minutes, 8 seconds remaining.
They took their final lead 30 seconds later, 51-49, on a Sisco field goal.
Hulbert carried the Panthers the rest of the way, scoring their final seven points — including four in a row for a 53-51 edge — and then the game-winner from behind the arc with less than 10 seconds to play.
The sting of the March 6 loss still very much felt, coach Johnson nevertheless was able to put that aside to reflect on what a fantastic season it had been for the Trojans.
Their eight wins are the most since the 2019-20 team that finished 12-10, and especially significant since the program almost folded three years ago due to lack of players.
“We made it to the finals,” Johnson said of the Trojans, who ousted Colonel Richardson’s girls, 57-43, in a region semifinal on March 3 — their first playoff win since 2020.
In addition to the double-digit scoring of Sisco and Cannon, Kent County received nine points from Jackson, eight points from Talicia Wright, four points from Jane Cleary and two points from Saniyah Jones.
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At the conclusion of the eight region tournaments, the winners were re-seeded for the state 1A quarterfinals.
Perryville, with 15 regular-season wins, was seeded No. 5 and traveled to No. 4 seed Smithsburg, with 16 regular-season wins.
Smithsburg eliminated Perryville, 72-34.
Top-seeded Southern Garrett (24-3) then eliminated Smithsburg, 60-37, before losing to No. 2 seed Pikesville in the championship game, 67-62, on Saturday at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.
All-underclassman Pikesville (24-3) won a state title for the fifth year in a row.