Pocomoke Vying for State Hoops Titles

BERLIN- Both Pocomoke High School varsity basketball teams will play in their respective state championship Final Fours today with a chance to add to the little school's ever-growing state title trophy case on the line.

Pound for pound, or sport for sport, Pocomoke has become one of the most successful high school athletic programs in the state in terms of collecting state championship hardware. Over the years, the Warriors have won 28 state championships in various sports including 16 by the varsity field hockey team alone.

Just this fall, Pocomoke's field hockey team won its sixth straight state Class 1A championship, while the Warriors' boys' varsity soccer team won its fourth straight state title. The hits keep coming for Pocomoke as both its boys' and girls' varsity basketball teams won Class 1A-East Region titles last weekend to return to the Final Four this weekend with a chance to add state championships number 29 and 30.

The Pocomoke girls' are the defending state champions and are making an impressive run at a repeat. The Warriors topped county rival Snow Hill, 70-19, in their first round game and Cambridge- South Dorchester, 61-23, in the second round to reach the regional finals again. In the regional finals, Pocomoke topped another Bayside school, Mardela, 52-47, to reach the Final Four.

The Pocomoke girls, now 25-1 on the season, will face Surratsville, the Class 1A-South Region champs, in the state semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. at UMBC. Should the Warriors prevail, they would face the winner of the match-up between Allegany and Digital Harbor on the other side of the Final Four bracket in the state championship game.

Meanwhile, the Pocomoke boys' basketball team has also made an impressive run in the state Class 1A tournament and find themselves on the cusp of a state championship. The Warriors, whose record on the season now stands at 24-1, beat Colonel Richardson, 72-46, in its first game in the regional tournament, followed by a 54-38 win over Washington High. That victory propelled the Warriors into the Class 1A-East Region championship game against familiar Bayside Conference rival Kent County. Pocomoke beat Kent County, 77-69, last weekend to claim the region title.

Pocomoke will face Class 1A-South Region champion South Carroll in the state semifinals this afternoon at 3 p.m. at UMBC. Lurking on the other side of the bracket for a potential state championship match-up are Allegany and Digital Harbor with the title match set for 1 p.m. tomorrow.