Season ends as Blue Devils
fall to Sherwood in 4A playoffs
Feb. 28 - Springbrook's phenomenal season ended with a 59-53 loss to Sherwood in the Maryland 4A North regional semi-finals.  C.J. Garner scored a team-high 19 points, followed by Tony Ammons with 10, Eric Johnson 10, Marcus Cotton 7, Othello Banaci 4, and Micah Perry 3. The team finished the season with an overall record of 19-4 and raked 17 in the metro area by the Washington Post.  Congratulations to the team and coaches for a job very well done!  Post

Blue Devils beat Perry Hall,
advance in regional bracket
Feb. 26 - Springbrook soundly defeated Perry Hall, 80-48, In round two of the Maryland 4A north regional playoffs (the Blue Devils had a bye in the first round).  Four Springbrook players scored in double figures.  Eric Johnson had 12 points and 14 rebounds and senior center Marcus Cotton had 13 points and 12 rebounds.  C.J. Garner scored 22 points, Micah Perry 14, Tony Ammons 8, Othello Banaci 4, Jamal Olasewere 3, Sam Cozy 2, and Nick Oates 2. 
The team will next face Sherwood in the regional semifinal round.  For the complete playoff brackets and the latest game results and news, go to MPSSAA.org.

2006-07 playoffs preview
Feb. 21 - Second-seeded Springbrook enters the playoffs with the second-best record in the county, one game behind Bethesda-Chevy Chase.  Led by outstanding junior shooting guard C.J. Garner, who leads the team and ranks third among Montgomery County public school boys with 21.4 points per game, the Blue Devils have shown the ability to run for 32 minutes.  Garner, the only junior in the starting lineup, is the offensive meal ticket, but point guard Othello Banaci’s quickness and ball-handling ability may be just as important.  Their last loss came at the hands of third-seeded Sherwood, 81-70 on Feb. 8, and the two are odds-on favorites to face each other in the third round.  But Springbrook would have to beat either seven-seed Patterson or 10th-seed Perry Hall to reach that point. Gazette, Post

Devils defeat Quince Orchard
Feb. 20 - Springbrook fought off a tough Quince Orchard team to close the regular season with a 50-47 victory.  C.J. Garner scored a game-high 17 points.  Marcus Cotton followed with 13 points, Micah Perry 12, Othello Banaci 6, and Tony Ammons 2.  Having completed the regular season with an outstanding 18-3 record, the Blue Devils will now prepare for the Maryland 4A state playoffs.

C.J. makes music on and off court
Feb. 9 - Anyone that’s followed high school basketball in Montgomery County already knows of C.J. Garner.  As Springbrook’s leading scorer this season, the junior two-guard has burst onto the scene from virtually out of nowhere, averaging 21 points per game for the 4A West Division-leading Blue Devils. Gazette

Blue Devils rout Blake
Feb. 9 - A day after a rare loss to Sherwood, Springbook bounced back by defeating consortium rival Blake, 86-61.  Gazette

Springbrook falls to Sherwood
Feb. 8 - Despite 32 points from C.J. Garner, the Blue Devils were unable to constrain Sherwood, which defeated Springbrook by the score of 81-70.  Eric Johnson scored 20 points for the Blue Devils, Micah Perry 7, Othello Banaci 6, Marcus Cotton 3, and Tony Ammons 2.

Devils demolish Walter Johnson
Feb. 5 - Springbrook scored a season-high 92 points and held Walter Johnson to just 50.  C.J Garner accounted for 23 Springbrook's points, followed by Micah Perry 20, Tony Ammons 18, Marcus Cotton 8, Othello Banaci 7, Eric Johnson 5, Edward Sin 5, Eboutouray 4, and Steven Johnson 2. 

Springbrook 74, Churchill 52
Feb. 2 - The Blue Devils avenged the week's loss to Magruder by torching Churchill in 74-52 victory.  Leading scorer C.J. Garner fueled the flames with 33 points. Marcus Cotton poured in 18 points, Eric Johnson added 7, Othello Banaci 5, Micah Perry 4, Ebou Touray 2 0-0 4, Do'Nae Reed 1 0-0 2, and Nick Oates 1. 

Blue Devils cannot solve Magruder
Jan. 30 - Springbrook fell to Magruder for the second time this season.  The two losses to Magruder, the lastest by the score of 65-51, account for the only blemishes on the Blue Devils' season record, currently 14-2.  C.J. Garner scored 21 points in the losing effort, followed by Othello Banaci with 13, Marcus Cotton 7, Eric Johnson 7, Tony Ammons 2, and Micah Perry 1. 

Springbrook defeats Whitman
Jan. 26 - The Blue Devils defeated Whitman, last year's state champ, 67-48.  With the win, Springbrook continued its impressive run through Montgomery County competition.  C.J  Garner scored a team-high 23 points, Tony Ammons scored 11, Othello Banaci 10, Eric Johnson 7, Micah Perry 7, Edward Sin 5, Marcus Cotton 2, and Dom Omatade 2.  Gazette

Blue Devils crush Blair
Jan. 23 - Junior C.J. Garner had 21 points, 9 steals and 3 assists to lead Springbrook to 71-40 victory over Blair.  Three other Blue Devils scored in double figures - Tony Ammons and Micah Perry each had 11 points while Marcus Cotton had 10.  Othello Banaci scored 8, Eric Johnson 7, and Do'Nae Reed 3.  Springbrook's record improved to 13-1.

Springbrook beats Blake, 
win Northeast Consortium crown
Jan. 12 - Springbrook soundly defeated Blake, 79-59, in a match-up of Northeast Consortium rivals.  With the victory earlier in the season against Paint Branch, the Blue Devils can now claim this season's informal consortium championship.  C.J. Garner led Springbrook with 31 points.  Eric Johnson scored 11, Othello Banaci 10, Marcus Cotton 9, Micah Perry 8, Tony Ammons 4, Edward Sin 4, and Steven Johnson 2.  Post

Blue Devils pound Sherwood
Jan. 10 - Springbrook was up 34-28 at half time and led for the rest of the game, ending up with a 75-67 victory.  C.J. Garner led the Blue Devils with 31 points.  Micah Perry scored 15 points, Othello Banaci 13, Marcus Cotton 8, Tony Ammons 6, and Eric Johnson 2.

Springbrook controlls Walter Johnson
Jan. 8 - Springbrook easily dispatched Walter Johnson, 80-53.  C.J. Garner had a season-high 38 points, five steals and three assists.  Micah Perry scored 14 points, Othello Banaci 7, Jamal Olasewere 6, Marcus Cotton 5, Nick Oates 4, Tony Ammons 2, Eric Johnson 2, and Steven Johnson 2.  The Blue Devils moved to no. 20 in the Post ranking, with a 10-1 season record to date.  Gazette

Blue Devils beat Churchill
Jan. 5 - Springbrook returned to the win column with a decisive win over Churchill, 54-40.  Eric Johnson scored a team-high 11 points.  Micah Perry added 9 points, Marcus Cotton 8, Othello Banaci 7, Tony Ammons 6, C.J. Garner 4, Steven Johnson 2, Dom Omatade 2, Do'Nae Reed 2, Edward Sin 2, and Sam Cozy 1.

C.J. Garners attention
Jan. 5 - After strategizing against Springbrook’s Folarin Campbell and David Brewster for six seasons, Montgomery County coaches might have assumed they were due a respite from the Blue Devils’ reign of Division I-caliber perimeter players.  No such luck.  With junior C.J. Garner on the perimeter this year, Springbrook has yet another dangerous scorer. Averaging 16.6 points per game, Garner has been the catalyst for the Blue Devils.  Examiner

Springbrook falls to Magruder
Jan. 3 - The Blue Devils suffered their first loss of the season, to Magruder, 53-44.  Going into the game Magruder was ranked no. 8 by the Post while Springbrook had climbed to no. 15.  Marcus Cotton scored a team-high 16 for the Blue Devils.  C.J. Garner scored 11 points, Eric Johnson 10, and Othello Banaci 7.  Post

Blue Devils rock Northwest
Dec. 27 - The Blue Devils won the Springbrook Holiday Tournament, defeating Northwest 71-45.  Tony Ammons, Micah Perry, and C.J. Garner shared the scoring lead, all three with 14 points each.  Marcus Cotton added 12 points, Othello Banaci 8, Eric Johnson 7, and Ebou Touray 2.  The Blue Devils improved their season record to 8-0.  Gazette

Devils defeat Marriotts Ridge
Dec. 27 - The Blue Devils remained undefeated by beating Marriotts Ridge, 62-45, in the opening round of the Springbrook Holiday Tournament.  C.J. Garner scored 19 points to lead the Blue Devils.  Eric Johnson added 13 points, Marcus Cotton 12, Othello Banaci 5, Tony Ammons 4, Nick Oates 2, Dom Omatade 2, Ebou Touray 2, and Sam Cozy 1. 

Springbrook drops Whitman
Dec. 21 - Whitman missed a three-pointer with three seconds left, and Springbrook senior F Eric Johnson grabbed the rebound to secure the victory.  Johnson finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Carl Garner scored a game-high 17 points.  Micah Perry scored 14, Tony Ammons 4, Marcus Cotton 2, and Edward Sin 2.  The 52-48 win was Springbrook's sixth consecutive victory since the season opened.  Gazette

Blue Devils defeat Blair
Dec. 19 - Springbrook stayed on the winning track by beating Montgomery Blair 53-45.  Tony Ammons and Carl Garner shared the team tead in scoring, with 12 points each.  Eric Johnson added 9 point, Micah Perry 9, Othello Banaci 7, Marcus Cotton 2, and Nick Oates 2.

Richard Montgomery falls
Dec. 14 - The Blue Devils beat Richard Montgomery 61-50 and stretched their season-opening winning streak to four games.  Montgomery was behind one point with three minutes remaining before Springbrook players made all 16 of their fourth-quarter points on free throws.  Carl Garner scored a team-high 18 points, followed by Micah Perry with 16, Marcus Cotton 12, Edward Sin 7, Tony Ammons 6, and Eric Johnson 2.  Gazette

Blue Devils defeat Watkins Mill
Dec. 12 - Four Springbrook players scored in double figures as the Blue Devils secured a 67-52 victory over Watkins Mill.  Micah Perry scored a team-high 18 points. Carl Garner had 17 points, Tony Ammons and Eric Johnson each scored 11, Marcus Cotton 4, Sam Cozy 3, and Edward Sin 3. 

Springbrook controls Paint Branch
Dec. 8 - Springbrook defeated consortium rival Paint Branch 70-57 in impressive style.  Center Marcus Cotton led the Blue Devils with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.  Three other Devils scored in double figures - Carl Garner with 14, Micah Perry 13, and Eric Johnson 11.  Othello Banaci added 7, Tony Ammons 4, Edward Sin 4, and Jamal Olasewere 2.  Gazette

Blue Devils open season 
with 74-53 win over Damascus
Dec. 5 - Springbrook trounced Damascus to open the 2006-07 season.  Carl Garner led the Blue Devils scoring with 27 points.  Micah Perry scored 12, Eric Johnson 9, Othello Banaci 8, Marcus Cotton 8, Jamal Olasewere 5, Nick Oates 2, Edward Sin 2, Tony Ammons 1. 

2006-07 preview - Gazette
Dec. 5 - Second-year Springbrook coach Tom Crowell looks out on the practice floor and sees a gaggle of new, unfamiliar faces. In his debut season with the Blue Devils, he led a team that surged near the prominence of the 2003-2004 squad that won a regional title, finishing 18-6 before falling to Southwestern (Baltimore) in the 4A North region semifinals.

But nine seniors from last year’s team are gone, so Crowell has to rebuild from the ground up. Gone is "King” David Brewster, an All-Gazette first-team guard who plays at Richmond. His 19.5 points per game led the squad a year ago, and his all-around dominance was the primary reason for the Blue Devils’ resurgence. Though power forward Sheridan Price, who added over 16 points a game, was another, and is also gone.

All three other starters, Andrew Dickson, Brainerd Erhiawaren and Darryl Kornegay, left too meaning Springbrook has an entirely new starting lineup. ‘‘We’re starting mostly seniors, but these kids were behind our other kids last year,” said Crowell. ‘‘But we do have a good group of kids that have been together ever since their sophomore year.”

Their leader may be their one junior. Two-guard C.J. Garner brings quickness, speed and range to the Blue Devil offense, and may be able to replace a good chunk of Brewster’s perimeter scoring. His backcourt mate will be point guard Othello Banaci, who has similar quickness and touch. 

Not nearly as big as they were last year, Springbrook’s biggest player in their center Marcus Cotton (6-foot-3) who is two inches shorter than Brewster was at the shooting guard position last year. But Cotton has the long arms that can still make him a presence down low. He also has good leaping ability, and Crowell looks to exploit his frame down on the block. Their other big man, Eric Johnson, will be Cotton’s tag-team partner. Both will see a bunch of touches this year, as the Blue Devils strive to become a more inside-oriented team. Finally, Micah Perry will be the swingman, and gives Springbrook another outside shooter.

Many of the Blue Devils saw minutes last year off the bench, so they are not totally unfamiliar with Crowell’s up-tempo, pressing style of attack. "We have good athletes but we haven’t yet been tested, obviously,” said Crowell. ‘‘We don’t know what’s going to happen.”