After a tough start to the season, boys basketball is hoping to shake off the doubts and make noise in the playoffs. Losses to Poolesville and Damascus in the first few weeks of the season were among the most painful. But Sherwood picked things up in early January, with a 53-51 win over a good Paint Branch team and a 55-46 win against Seneca Valley. Both opponents are solid, boasting winning records, and while losses to Blake and Magruder may seem demoralizing, the Warriors’ 9-11 record isn’t reflective of their season as a whole.

Regardless of Sherwood’s record in the regular season, the slate is wiped clean now that the playoffs have arrived. The Warriors have experience on their side, with a handful of their returning players having played meaningful minutes in their run to the state championship last season. This maturity was on full display in the Warriors’ game against Reservoir in the first round of the playoffs. Sherwood dominated the Gators 85-47 in their matchup on February 27, with 19-point outings from both junior big-man Jamar Nix and senior Tyler Gramling. Sherwood consistently performs well on defense, but when the offense clicks, as it did against Reservoir, they are a team to watch out for.

On the defensive side of the floor is where Sherwood is most impressive. In their loss to Blake, the Warriors were able to hold their regional rivals to 60 points, which is noteworthy considering the Bengals consistently drop 70-80 points on their opponents. The cornerstone of the Sherwood defense is Nix, who, standing at 6’6”, is an imposing obstacle in the paint. The junior wing was named to the Montgomery County All-Defensive First Team and All-County First Team this season. Sherwood’s interior defense runs on Nix, which is why most of the time when he is on the floor, the Warriors run a man-to-man defense. “Man defense” is a scheme that sacrifices defense around the rim, a deficit which Nix mitigates with his interior presence.

Head coach Jeff Holda says that the defensive scheme the Warriors run is determined by their opponents’ skill set. “If our opponent doesn’t shoot well, we often play zone, or if we are in foul trouble, we will try to protect our guys in a zone,” Holda says. “Otherwise, I prefer to play man to man, pressure the ball, and force bad shots and turnovers.”

Sherwood also has great depth at the guard position, with a talented core and good additions off the bench. Between seniors Gramling and Roman Smith, the former of whom was named to the second-team all-division, there’s not a whole lot more from the guard position you could want for your backcourt. In Sherwood’s second matchup against Magruder on February 4, Smith took over late in the fourth quarter, helping the Warriors storm back against their division rivals and force overtime. To round off Sherwood’s guard depth, juniors Kyle Silberman, Kieran Andrews, and Jackson Dankmyer bring great guard-skills whenever they sub into the game.

Among the losses, there are plenty of close games to talented teams where Sherwood couldn’t come up with the win late. In both of Sherwood’s games against Blake and Magruder, the Warriors kept pace with their opponent for most of the first three quarters. It was in the fourth quarter of these games that their opponents would pull away with the win. However, this is the story for many of the Warriors’ losses; in Sherwood’s first loss of the season against Damascus, the Warriors were down by just 1 point going into the fourth quarter, before being outscored by 7 points.

If there’s one thing to take away from watching them this past season, it’s their immense passion and heart for the game of basketball. On any given night, whether the Warriors win or lose, they will most certainly out-hustle their opponents. “Our guys play so hard,” Holda says. “The most frustrated I’ve been this season is watching them play with passion and toughness on defense, but then fall short on the offensive end of things. For how hard they play, they deserve to win.”