Decatur players hope third time's a charm in state tournament

When the high school basketball season began in December, Kevon Voyles knew he would be looked upon as the leader for the Stephen Decatur Seahawks.

Since joining the team his sophomore year, Voyles had other former Decatur stars he could rely on, includingTorrey Brittingham, Keve Aluma and Gary Briddell.

But with all three gone, Voyles was prepared to put the Seahawks on his back and help Decatur capture its third consecutive regional championship.

“Just yesterday, I was a sophomore coming in, and now I’m graduating,” Voyles said. “This is my best year by far. I’ve helped contribute to the team, but this year, I was going to take total control of the team and lead them all the way.”

Having already committed to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to play Division I basketball, Voyles had light at the end of the tunnel, but wanted to boost his resume before making the jump to college.

In his first two seasons with Decatur, the Seahawks had come as close as a team can to bringing home a state championship victory. His sophomore year, the team lost in overtime during the title game, then got blown out in the semifinals one season later.

But as his senior season took off, the desire to finally get a championship drove Voyles, as he put up double-digit scoring in almost every game.

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“I don’t want to take anything from the kids, but I thought it would be a little bit tougher this year,” Decatur head coach BJ Johnson said. “But having Kevon Voyles on your side, you can’t go wrong.”

Winning their first seven conference games gave the appearance that Decatur still had the capability to compete with the best squads on the Eastern Shore, but a Jan. 17 home match up against then-undefeated Wi-Hi set the Seahawks back a step.

Despite a hard-fought contest, Decatur dropped its first conference game of the season, as well as its first home loss in three years.

Though they rebounded with three-straight victories, trouble struck again when Decatur dropped another three, all but eliminating them from contending for the Bayside South crown.

However, Decatur knew the ultimate prize wasn’t a conference championship — it was another shot at states, where the team had come up short far too often.

In order to make that dream a reality, Voyles and the Seahawks knew they would need to capture the top seed in the 3A East. Against Bennett — a team they had already lost to earlier in the year — Decatur finally got back in the driver’s seat.

With Voyles leading the way, Decatur downed Bennett 72-48, giving them complete control of the 3A East. Two victories against St. Michael’s and Parkside sealed the deal for the Seahawks and gave them a winnable path back to contend for a state championship.

“We changed the lineup a couple of times … and these kids have fought, and I’m so proud of them,” Johnson said. “This season has been unbelievable.”

But a third regional championship wasn’t guaranteed — Decatur would still have to take on teams like Northeast, Chesapeake and Centennial.

Though they started slow, the Seahawks downed Northeast and Chesapeake in the opening rounds. Voyles combined for more than 60 points while teammates Churchill Bounds, Zion Shockley, Tah’Jeem Woodland and Mihail Beja also contributed to the victories.

But near the end of the Chesapeake game, disaster struck in Berlin.

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Churchill — a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward — fell victim to injury, forcing him to miss the regional championship against Centennial on Saturday afternoon.

“We have the motto, ‘Next man up,’ and we’re only as strong as our weakest link,” Voyles said. “We knew guys like (sophomore center) Gabe (Aluma) would step up.”

As Saturday’s game rolled around, all eyes were on Decatur, with many wondering if they had the tools to shut down a Centennial team that had finally found its groove.

With strong shooters and tall defenders, the contest looked to have the potential for an instant classic. But when it started, Decatur immediately took control.

An early 11-0 run gave the Seahawks the gap, which they held throughout the first half. However, a third-quarter run by Centennial gave the Eagles the lead, but Voyles, who was playing in his final home game, refused to let his high school career come to an end.

“It was hard, but I took that in and gave the fans a show,” Voyles said. “I made sure they’ll never forget me.”

In the second half, Voyles went off, scoring 24 of the Seahawks’ 31 points in the final 16 minutes.

With Centennial having no answer for the senior, Decatur cruised to a 60-51 victory, punching their ticket to College Park for the state semifinal game.

“When they took the lead, they punched us in the mouth and it hurt,” Voyles said. “Coach told me to settle down and play my game, and when I did that we came out and got it. Now, we’re going back to College Park again when no one thought we could.”

One-by-one, Decatur players and coaches climbed the ladder to the basket, taking part in the traditional cutting of the net.

As Johnson made his way up, he took his piece, turned around, held up three fingers and hollered to the crowd.

For the third time in his five-year tenure at Decatur, Johnson was the coach of a regional championship team.

“We never faltered, we stayed doing what we we're doing, and it worked out for us,” Johnson said. “We’ll go into (the semifinals), continue to do what we do and see what happens.”

On Thursday, the Seahawks will take their next step in the journey to a state title, matching up against Baltimore Poly — the team that knocked them out last season.

But with Voyles leading the way, and a good supporting staff around him, the Division I commit is confident his high school career will have a story-book ending.

“Third time’s the charm,” Voyles said with a grin.

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