Although the result was hanging right there at the end -- and a half-dozen Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division all-stars playing in their high school uniforms for the final time did what they could -- Pennsylvania just couldn't get it done.
Blame a late Maryland spurt.
Julius Fambro scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as Maryland capped the 33rd annual Roundball Showcase by scoring the last eight points in a fast-paced 116-112 victory Saturday night at Steel-High's Benkovic Gymnasium.
"We were out here having fun," said Harrisburg's Eric "Cotta" Henry, whose theft and finish with 1:21 to go gave Pennsylvania a 112-108 lead. "We really wanted to win, because it was like a Pennsylvania-Maryland rivalry thing, but we were having fun. Everyone was sharing the ball.
"And whoever gets the open shot takes it."
Although Henry and Pequea Valley's Matt Schatzmann each scored 19 points to lead the Pennsylvanians, the rest of the Commonwealth Division dudes pitched in plenty.
Central Dauphin East's slick guard Jonathan Breeden and Cedar Cliff swingman D.J. Rowe each wound up with 15 points to back the lightning-fast Henry. East's Demond Bates and Harrisburg's Wayne Griffin also cracked double figures, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Steel-High's Lloyd "Big Cat" Hill, playing his final game at the Roller Pit in his familiar No. 0, tossed in a 3-pointer before checking out with a foot injury that limited him to three-plus minutes.
"It was good just being on the bench with those guys, though," Hill said. "We're all good friends and we all hang out together, so it's nothing new. We played AAU for the longest.
"We all know each other."
Despite their long-lasting friendships and vast knowledge of each other's games on the basketball court, the Commonwealth guys were never all on the floor at the same time.
Henry, who arrived at Harrisburg from Bishop McDevitt just as Breeden was leaving for East, shared time with the Panthers' catalyst and Hill -- for the short period he was in the lineup. And when it was time to give those guys a rest, Bates, Griffin and Rowe hopped off the bench.
And vice versa.
"It was an all-star game, so everybody deserved to play," said Henry, who is checking out Delaware State and Kutztown. "We just wanted to have fun. Everybody could play on our team.
"They were bigger than us, but we still played them."
NOTES: In the girls' half of the Pennsylvania-Maryland twinbill, the Lampeter-Strasburg duo of Lisa Boyer and Danielle Rittenhouse shared 31 points in the Keystone State's 104-91 success. Harrisburg's Stacei Dennis added a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Cumberland Valley's Shivonne Gallagher (7), Trinity's Alexa Barbush (6) and Gabby Singer (5) of Central Dauphin shared another 18 points for Pennsylvania. ... Maryland's Kevin Harrison won the dunk contest, beating Delone's Chris Hartmann in the final round. Harrison posted a perfect score of 100 in the finals. ... Maryland's MacGyver Biniak (16), Matt Duerr (14), Fambro (12) and Donald Dawson (10) all pulled down 10 or more rebounds. Breeden, Henry and Schatzmann topped a smaller Pennsylvania side, which was outrebounded 87-62, with eight boards apiece.
MICHAEL BULLOCK: 255-8124 or mbullock@patriot-news.com