Churchill Advances to First Regional Final in 33 Years

's seven seniors have been to several MPSSAA 4A West Regional Finals in the last few years. But each time they went before, they had to buy a ticket at the door.

"We went last year after a disappointing loss to Magruder in the semifinals," said senior forward Thomas Geenen. "It was painful to watch the other teams play, especially for our seniors who had played their last game. But while we were there we all made a vow that this year we had to come back and find a way to play in this game not just for us but for all the guys we have had the chance to play with over the past three years."

Indeed, this year the Bulldogs won't be spectators but will be playing in the regional championship thanks to a 53-45 semifinal victory over Gaithersburg Thursday evening. The victory set up Churchill's first appearance in 33 years in the 4A West Regional Final.

"What happened tonight was the result of a group of kids who worked hard and battled each and every day, some of them for four years," Churchill head coach Matt Miller commented after the game. "I am proud to be able to say that I was associated with the team that just ended the drought of regional finals at Churchill. But as I stressed to the team, this was just one of our team goals and not the only one left. We hope that we can find a way to keep playing and advance because our seniors know they will never get another opportunity like this."

The path to the regional final was not easy for the Bulldogs as an improving Gaithersburg team managed to make things interesting for most of the night before a large and raucous crowd at Churchill.

Despite jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the first quarter the Bulldogs saw the Trojans close to quarter strong  and narrow the gap to 16-13. The second quarter was a back and forth affair with Churchill clinging to 24-22 lead at halftime.

"Give credit to Gaithersburg," said Miller. "They came ready to play and withstood our strong start and got right back into the game. Everytime we started to separate just a little they made a play and were breathing down our necks."

And it appeared that Gaithersburg would stay in the game for good as the third quarter again became a see-saw affair with Churchill trying to extend its narrow lead and Gaithersburg staying within close striking distance. It was not until mid-way through the fourth quarter that Churchill was able to gain a little breathing room thanks to strong defensive pressure that forced turnovers leading to timely baskets. The Bulldogs then managed to hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

The Bulldogs received solid performances from senior Sam Edens (17 points and 7 rebounds), junior Dominique Williams (11 points), senior Thomas Geenen (6 points and 8 rebounds), senior Louis Rothstein (5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), and sophomore Matt Moshyedi (6 points).

"This regional final is really a tribute to all the hard work that this team and the players that came before them put into this program since I got here," noted Miller. "You don't have the kind of seasons we have put together over the last few years without high character resilient kids willing to work. The kids in our program have refused to believe that Churchill basketball shouldn't be about playing in these types of games and they've overcome the critics, injuries and other adversity to get here."

Next up for the Bulldogs is the number one seed Magruder Colonels fresh off a 42-point victory over Wootton in the other 4A West Semifinal. Magruder has lost just one game this season to Dematha and less than two weeks ago thumped Churchill 65-39 in the final game of the regular season.

"We know what we are up against. We've seen them up close and personal and they got us pretty good last time," Miller said. "We will have to play our most complete game of the year to beat them. But we're ready and willing to accept that challenge."