For former Hanover High boys’ basketball head coach Joel Beard, it was not meant to be.
After his Century High girls’ basketball squad easily won its Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association semifinal over Owings Mills on Friday at Maryland-Baltimore County, the dream ended Saturday at UMBC’s Retriever Activities Center.
Down by 20 at halftime, Century eventually lost 57-22 to Calvert (26-1) in the Class 2A championship game.
Sure, it’s a loss, but you can also think such an outcome means Century produced the very best season it could. After all, Beard’s squad finished with a 24-3 record, not easily matched by any team anywhere.
I played for Coach Beard 1993-1995 at Hanover. Though I didn’t particularly get along with him, I realized how knowledgeable he was when I began working with my son on his game. I’m glad Coach Beard is doing well.