Senior captain Jake Koverman posted a season-high 22 points and 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the year November 17, but St. Mary’s College of Maryland fell 74-65 on the road to undefeated Shenandoah University in non-conference men’s basketball action in Winchester, Virginia.
The Seahawks dropped to 2-2 overall while the Hornets improved to 3-0, maintaining their perfect start under head coach Adam Crawford in the Michael O’Brien ARC.
Koverman, a Severna Park product playing at Southern High School, gave St. Mary’s its only lead of the night at 3-2 when he sank one of two free throws with 18:21 left in the first half. Shenandoah answered immediately with a 23-7 surge over the next seven minutes to build a 25-10 cushion. The senior forward sparked a late first-half response, scoring eight points during a 20-11 Seahawks run that cut the deficit to 36-30 at the break. Koverman drained two of his five three-pointers in that stretch.
Shenandoah opened the second half with a quick basket from Ellis Wright to push the margin to nine. St. Mary’s countered with an 8-0 spurt, capped by a layup from fellow senior captain JD Salo of Dunkirk and Northern High School, pulling within 39-38 at the 15:10 mark. The Hornets steadied from there, gradually extending the lead and reaching a 12-point advantage at 70-58 with 1:50 remaining.
St. Mary’s won the rebounding battle 33-27, led by Koverman’s game-high 13 boards, and shot 50 percent from the floor after halftime. Shenandoah countered with 51.2 percent shooting overall, including 8-of-17 from beyond the arc, and converted 22 of 34 free-throw attempts.
Koverman finished 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range in 36 minutes, adding two steals. The performance marked the fifth double-double of his career. First-year forward Evan Quintero from Fallston and Gilman School contributed 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting with four rebounds and a pair of steals in 29 minutes. Salo added eight points in limited action.
Wright paced Shenandoah with a game-high 26 points. The Hornets forced 18 St. Mary’s turnovers while committing 15 and held a 13-8 edge in steals.
The contest was the first meeting between the programs since the 2019-20 season, when Shenandoah took an 80-73 decision in St. Mary’s City. The Seahawks have now dropped four straight road openers dating back to the 2021-22 campaign.
St. Mary’s returns to the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center on November 22 when Stevenson University visits for the annual Dan Greene/Wayne Cook Memorial Game tipping at 3 p.m. The Mustangs enter 4-0 after a midweek victory over Catholic University. The memorial game honors two former Seahawks standouts: Greene, a 1986 graduate and long-time assistant coach who passed away in 2015, and Cook, a 2003 graduate and former team captain who died in 2020.
The Seahawks continue to blend experience with youth under ninth-year head coach Chris Harney. Koverman and Salo are two of five returners from last season’s squad that finished 12-14 and reached the United East Conference tournament semifinals. The roster features nine newcomers, including Quintero and several Tri-County products who bring local familiarity to the program based in historic St. Mary’s City.
Shenandoah, a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, has started 3-0 for the second consecutive season and hosts its own holiday tournament next week.
